Meaning & use
implied
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Suggested without being said directly.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: an implied threat.
Patterns
- an implied something
There was an implied warning in her tone.
He sensed an implied criticism in the review.
The contract has an implied promise of safety.
adjectivebefore a nounlegal
Understood to be part of a legal agreement even though it is not written down.
Grammar: Legal use: implied consent.
Patterns
- implied consent
- implied term
Drivers give implied consent to a breath test.
An implied warranty covers basic quality.
The court found an implied agreement between the two parties.
adjectivebefore a nountechnicalfinance
Included in a result or number by calculation or logic.
Grammar: Used in finance and math: implied volatility.
Patterns
- implied value
The implied value of the company rose.
The implied rate is shown in the chart.
Analysts study implied volatility before trading.
Common combinations
- implied consent
- Using the website means implied consent to cookies.
- implied threat
- She felt an implied threat in his words.
- implied meaning
- The implied meaning was clear to everyone.
- implied warranty
- An implied warranty protects the buyer.
- implied criticism
- I heard implied criticism in his praise.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unspoken
- Unspoken stresses that nothing was said at all, while implied suggests a hint was given.
- indirect
- Indirect describes the manner of speaking, whereas implied describes the message hidden within.
- tacit
- Tacit is more formal and means silently accepted, as in a tacit agreement.
- inferred
- Inferred is what a listener concludes, while implied is what the speaker suggests.
Opposites
Word family
- imply verb
- to suggest without saying
- implication noun
- something suggested, or a likely result
- impliedly adverb
- in an implied way (rare)
- implicit adjective
- suggested or understood without being stated
Commonly confused: implied or inferred? implied or applied?
implied vs inferred
Imply is what the speaker does; infer is what the listener does. An implied meaning is in the words, an inferred meaning is drawn from them.
implied vs applied
Applied means put to use and is only similar in sound.
Practice
She never said she was angry, but there was an ____ criticism in her silence.
Choose one answer.
Implied means suggested without being said. Explicit and stated mean directly spoken, and inferred describes what a listener concludes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “implied”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.