What does tacit mean?
Word: Tacit
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Tacit means understood or agreed without being put into words.
Synonyms: unspoken, implied
Antonyms: explicit
Word origin: Comes from Latin tacitus, from tacere.
How do you spell tacit?
Syllables: tac - it
Tricky part: The soft sound in the middle is spelt with a c. Students who go by the sound alone write an s there.
Watch out for: tasit, taccit
Memory tip: A tacit deal is made in silence, and silence has the same soft c doing the work of an s.
Tacit in a sentence
Example 1: There was a tacit agreement among the cousins to let the youngest win at carrom.
Example 2: Her silence was taken as tacit approval of the picnic plan.
Example 3: The neighbours have a tacit arrangement about watering the shared plants.
Fun Fact
The name of Tacitus, one of the great historians of ancient Rome, is this same Latin word. That is amusing for a man remembered today for all that he wrote.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) tacitt
b) explicit
c) deficit
d) implicit
Show answer
a) tacitt. The word closes on one t, however firmly you say it.
Word Twins
Choose the correct option to fill both blanks:
1. Our teammates had a ___ deal to take turns carrying the kit bag. 2. The ___ old fisherman rarely says more than hello.
a) 'taciturn' in both
b) 'tacit' in both
c) taciturn/tacit
d) tacit/taciturn
Show answer
d) tacit/taciturn. A deal can be silent and understood; a person who says very little is taciturn.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. tacit 2. tactile 3. tactful a. connected with the sense of touch b. careful not to hurt anyone's feelings c. shown by behaviour alone
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. The three look alike but differ: tacit is shown rather than spoken, tactile concerns touch and tactful concerns other people's feelings.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
The two captains had a tacit understanding that neither would apeal unless the umpire had clearly mised the edge of the bat.
a) 2
b) 1
c) 3
d) 0
Show answer
a) 2. Appeal needs two p's and missed needs two s's; tacit is spelt correctly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A mother's tacit approval of a plan might be shown by ___.
a) a small smile and a nod
b) a long phone call to the school
c) a clear yes at the dinner table
d) a signed letter to the teacher
Show answer
a) a small smile and a nod
2. Which family rule is most likely to be tacit?
a) everyone simply knows the big chair is Grandpa's
b) a list on the fridge sets out the weekly chores
c) Father announced the new bedtime at lunch
d) a notice on the gate asks visitors to shut it
Show answer
a) everyone simply knows the big chair is Grandpa's
