Meaning of “explicit” in the English Dictionary

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"explicit" in English

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explicitadjective

uk ​ /ɪkˈsplɪs.ɪt/ us ​ /ɪkˈsplɪs.ɪt/

C2 clear and exact:

I gave her very explicit directions how to get here.
She was very explicit about (= said very clearly and exactly) what she thought was wrong with the plans.
I wasn't aware that I would be paying - you certainly didn't make it explicit (= state it clearly).
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implicit

C2 showing or talking about sex or violence in a very detailed way:

a sexually explicit movie

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

explicitly
adverb uk ​ /ɪkˈsplɪs.ɪt.li/ us ​ /ɪkˈsplɪs.ɪt.li/

›

I told you quite explicitly (= clearly) to be home by midnight.
explicitness
noun [ U ] uk ​ /ɪkˈsplɪs.ɪt.nəs/ us ​ /ɪkˈsplɪs.ɪt.nəs/

(Definition of “explicit” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"explicit" in American English

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explicitadjective [ not gradable ]

us ​ /ɪkˈsplɪs·ɪt/

› communicated directly in a clear and exact way:

I gave them explicit directions on how to get here.

› Explicit also means showing full details, without anything hidden or suggested.

explicitly
adverb [ not gradable ] us ​ /ɪkˈsplɪs·ət·li/

(Definition of “explicit” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Blogs about "explicit"

Simple and Straightforward (Words meaning ‘clear’)

by Kate Woodford,

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