Explicit means stated outright and unmistakably. Implicit means implied — understood without being said. An explicit instruction spells out what to do; an implicit one leaves you to infer it. The prefixes carry it: <em>ex-</em> is out, <em>im-</em> is in.
The core difference
Whether something is said or merely understood.
- explicit — directly stated: explicit instructions, an explicit guarantee.
- implicit — implied, unstated: an implicit assumption, implicit bias.
The second sense of implicit
Implicit also means complete or unquestioning — implicit trust. That sense is unrelated to the implied one and is worth knowing, because "implicit trust" does not mean trust that was never stated; it means absolute trust.
The other explicit
Explicit has also become the standard label for sexual or violent content. That use is now so common that "explicit" in isolation may be read that way, which is worth remembering when writing about clear instructions.
Frequently asked questions
What does implicit bias mean?
Bias that operates without being consciously stated or recognised — the implied rather than declared sense of the word.
Does implicit trust mean unspoken trust?
No. That phrase uses the second sense: complete, unquestioning trust.
How do I remember the prefixes?
Ex- means out, so explicit is spelled out. Im- means in, so implicit stays inside, implied.