tacit
Meaning: Understood or implied without being directly stated or expressed; communicated through silence, behaviour, or implication rather than words.
Tacit describes agreements, understandings, or knowledge that exist without formal expression. In business and philosophy, 'tacit knowledge' refers to intuitive, experience-based understanding that is difficult to articulate or codify. In diplomacy and law, 'tacit approval' means consent given through inaction or silence rather than explicit statement. The word is distinct from 'taciturn' (habitually silent), though both derive from the same root. Common collocations include 'tacit agreement,' 'tacit approval,' 'tacit understanding,' and 'tacit knowledge.'
Examples
- There was a tacit understanding among the committee members that the topic would not be raised in public. 委员会成员之间有一种心照不宣的默契,即该话题不会在公开场合被提起。Existía un acuerdo tácito entre los miembros del comité de que el asunto no se plantearía en público.その話題を公の場で取り上げないという暗黙の了解が委員の間にあった。그 주제를 공개 석상에서 거론하지 않겠다는 암묵적인 양해가 위원들 사이에 있었다.
- The government's failure to intervene was widely interpreted as tacit approval of the company's practices. 政府未进行干预,这被广泛解读为对该公司做法的默许。La inacción del gobierno fue ampliamente interpretada como una aprobación tácita de las prácticas de la empresa.政府が介入しなかったことは、その企業の慣行に対する暗黙の承認と広く解釈された。정부가 개입하지 않은 것은 그 기업의 관행에 대한 암묵적 승인으로 널리 해석되었다.
- Much of what experienced clinicians know about diagnosis is tacit knowledge, difficult to capture in textbooks. 经验丰富的临床医生关于诊断的许多知识都是难以写入教科书的隐性知识。Gran parte de lo que los clínicos experimentados saben sobre el diagnóstico es conocimiento tácito, difícil de plasmar en los libros de texto.経験豊富な臨床医が診断について知っていることの多くは、教科書に収めることが難しい暗黙知である。숙련된 임상의가 진단에 대해 알고 있는 것의 상당 부분은 교과서에 담기 어려운 암묵지이다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: academic, legal, professional
Tone: neutral
Origin & History
From Latin tacitus (silent, secret), past participle of tacēre (to be silent, say nothing). Entered English in the early 17th century. The Roman historian Tacitus shares the same root.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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