tacit
5 antonyms and opposites of tacit, grouped by meaning.
Adjective — Understood or agreed without being said aloud or written down.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adjective
Understood or agreed without being said aloud or written down.
“There was a tacit agreement that nobody would mention the argument again.”
Opposites
2. adjective specialist
Of knowledge or skill: held by experience and difficult to write down or teach directly.
“Much of what a good nurse knows is tacit knowledge picked up on the ward.”
Opposites
Antonyms
How to use tacit
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Formal to neutral; common in legal, business and academic writing.
Etymology
From Latin tacitus "silent, passed over in silence", the past participle of tacere "to be silent".
Full origin of tacit →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between tacit and implicit?
They overlap heavily. "Implicit" means contained in something without being stated, and can apply to a text or a rule. "Tacit" specifically means agreed or accepted without anyone speaking, so it fits agreements, consent and approval best.
What is the difference between tacit and taciturn?
They share a Latin root but differ in use. Tacit describes something unspoken — a tacit agreement. Taciturn describes a person who says very little by nature — a taciturn colleague.
What is tacit knowledge?
It is know-how that people acquire through practice and can rarely put into words: judging when bread dough is ready, or reading a room. It contrasts with explicit knowledge, which can be written down and passed on in a manual.