tacit
Say it: TASS-it /ˈtæsɪt/ · adjective
What “tacit” means
Understood or agreed without saying it.
More precisely: Understood or agreed without being said out loud.
Example: “We have a tacit agreement: whoever cooks doesn't wash up.”
When to use it
For an unspoken agreement or shared understanding, usually in fairly formal descriptions of relationships, teams or everyday arrangements.
Memory trick
Latin tacitus means silent: a tacit agreement stays unspoken.
Similar words
unspoken, implicit, understood
Where it comes from
From Latin tacitus, "silent."
Quick check
Without discussing it, two neighbours always take turns bringing each other's bins in. Their shared agreement is…
explicit or tacit?
Show the answer
tacit
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