elicit

verb elic·it \ i-ˈli-sət \

Definition of elicit

transitive verb

1 : to call forth or draw out (something, such as information or a response)

her remarks elicited cheers

2 : to draw forth or bring out (something latent or potential)

hypnotism elicited his hidden fears

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elicitation

play \i-ˌli-sə-ˈtā-shən, ˌē-\ noun

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elicitor

play \i-ˈli-sə-tər\ noun

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Examples of elicit in a Sentence

If ever there was a two-way pleasure street, it's the delight a baby takes in being tickled and the joy the parent experiences in the tumble of laughter it elicits. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 17 Jan. 2005
Gingrich elicits perhaps the greatest sympathy when he talks about the challenge of graduating from a rabble-rousing backbencher in the House minority to presiding over (and trying to control) the first Republican majority in 40 years. —Richard L. Berke, New York Times Book Review, 17 May 1998
In a wild, captive wolf that is not socialized to man, approach will elicit flight and, if the wolf is cornered, a defensive reaction may be triggered, which is termed the critical-distance reaction. —Michael W. Fox, The Soul of the Wolf, 1980
She's been trying to elicit the support of other committee members.
My question elicited no response.
She's been unable to elicit much sympathy from the public.

Recent Examples of elicit from the Web

In her harrowing film Tempestad (Tempest), about the horrors of human trafficking, Tatiana Huezo elicits outrage and sorrow as gangsters operate with impunity and the voices of victims go unheard.

— john hecht, The Hollywood Reporter, "Oscars: 'Tempestad' Exposes Mexico's Rampant Crime and Corruption," 28 Nov. 2017
Pourciau tears into the role with relish, eliciting sympathy from the audience from her first appearance, weakened and dazed.

— theodore p. mahne, NOLA.com, "Playmakers offers darkly comic family drama 'August: Osage County'," 1 Nov. 2017
The World Health Organisation swiftly withdrew its appointment of Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador, which had elicited howls of derision.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 26 Oct. 2017
Securing the final year of Joerger’s deal enabled him to relax and elicited silent sighs of relief among his assistants for obvious reasons.

— ailene voisin, sacbee, "How will Joerger lead young Kings? The answer is in a bumpy bus ride to his roots," 13 Oct. 2017
Associating dogs and ibises with deities, Egyptians elicited scorn from neighboring Jewish and Roman authorities.

— jonathon keats, Discover Magazine, "The Animal Mummy Business," 10 Nov. 2017
The latest round of Lillard Time will star in all the highlights and elicit all the social media likes.

— joe freeman, OregonLive.com, "Jusuf Nurkic rediscovers the fun as Portland Trail Blazers beat Los Angeles Lakers," 3 Nov. 2017
On the other hand, the Catalan separatists can count on the intense commitment and mobilization of a large segment of the local population and their ability to elicit international sympathy on their behalf.

— stathis kalyvas, The Atlantic, "Why Greece's Fate Helps Make Sense of Catalonia's Gamble," 27 Oct. 2017
The bid submitted from Arsenal has elicited some excitement in the Yazici camp, but no positive or negative response to the bid has been provided by Trabzonspor.

— SI.com, "Arsenal Submit 'Official €16m Bid' for Young Trabzonspor Star Despite Man Utd Interest," 7 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'elicit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Latin Roots of elicit

Elicit derives from the past participle of the Latin verb elicere, formed by combining the prefix e- (meaning "away") with the verb lacere, meaning "to entice by charm or attraction." It is not related to its near-homophone, the adjective illicit—that word, meaning "unlawful," traces back to another Latin verb, licēre, meaning "to be permitted." Nor is elicit related to the verb solicit, even though it sounds like it should be. Solicit derives from Latin sollicitare ("to disturb"), formed by combining the adjective sollus, meaning "whole," with the past participle of the verb ciēre, meaning "to move."

Origin and Etymology of elicit

Latin elicitus, past participle of elicere, from e- + lacere to allure

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1605

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

elicit Synonyms

Synonyms

educe, evoke, inspire, raise;

Near Antonyms

disregard, forget, ignore, miss, neglect, overlook, overpass, pass over;

coax (out), gain, get, obtain, procure, secure;

bare, disclose, discover, divulge, evince, expose, reveal, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil;

Phrases

call forth;

Synonym Discussion of elicit

educe, evoke, elicit, extract, extort mean to draw out something hidden, latent, or reserved. educe implies the bringing out of something potential or latent.