Word Nerd Alert: Tacit

November 1, 2026 1 min read

Adjective · \ˈta-sət\

: expressed or carried on without words or speech

“The blush … was a tacit answer …”

: implied or indicated (as by an act or by silence) but not actually expressed

“tacit consent”

Roots

From Latin tacitus, “silent,” from tacēre “to be silent”; related to Old High German dagēn, also “to be silent”

Close cousins

implicit, silent, implied, inexplicit, understood

First known use

circa 1650

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