latent

adjective

la·tent | \ ˈlā-tᵊnt

Definition of latent

(Entry 1 of 2)

: present and capable of emerging or developing but not now visible, obvious, active, or symptomatic a latent infection

latent

noun

la·tent | \ ˈlā-tᵊnt

Definition of latent (Entry 2 of 2)

: a fingerprint (as at the scene of a crime) that is scarcely visible but can be developed for study

— called also latent fingerprint, latent print

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Choose the Right Synonym for latent

Adjective

latent, dormant, quiescent, potential mean not now showing signs of activity or existence. latent applies to a power or quality that has not yet come forth but may emerge and develop. a latent desire for success dormant suggests the inactivity of something (such as a feeling or power) as though sleeping. their passion had lain dormant quiescent suggests a usually temporary cessation of activity. the disease was quiescent potential applies to what does not yet have existence or effect but is likely soon to have. a potential disaster

Examples of latent in a Sentence

Adjective

On the ground in Afghanistan there is some latent, if wary, gratitude for American aid over the years, but no one expects to build a foundation for the Taliban's downfall on a couple of million rice cakes. — Michael Duffy, Time, 15 Oct. 2001 There were such inexhaustible possibilities still before her, such opportunities to bring out the latent graces of the old place, without a single irreverent touch of alteration, that the winter months were all too short to plan what spring and autumn executed. — Edith Wharton, Afterward, 1910 Calm, gentle, passionless, as he appeared, there was yet, we fear, a quiet depth of malice, hitherto latent, but active now, in this unfortunate old man, which led him to imagine a more intimate revenge than any mortal had ever wreaked upon an enemy. — Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, 1850 he has a latent talent for acting that he hasn't had a chance to express yet

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

That both influences are short stories is relevant; Mr. Lee’s book loses some of its latent horror by being stretched into a novel, even a short one. — Sam Sacks, WSJ, "Fiction: They Fall to Earth, We Know Not Where," 18 Jan. 2019 But Halloween, that most psychically liberating of holidays, seems to have unleashed their not-so-latent exhibitionist tendencies. — Kevin Conley, Town & Country, "Welcome to the Neighborhood, Jeff Koons!," 31 Oct. 2014 Tensions and peculiarities like this are latent throughout the exhibition. — Edward Rothstein, WSJ, "A Historical Society Grapples With the Past," 10 Oct. 2018 And yes: Carell was good too, mining just a little bit of the latent pathetic Michael Scott, but for a guy who actually had power. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "Vice doesn’t want to humanize Dick Cheney. So instead, it (maybe) demonizes America.," 21 Dec. 2018 Now the holidays have brought out yet another latent fashion persona: Liberace. — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "For Sam Smith, It’s a Very Liberace Christmas," 14 Dec. 2018 Some, for instance, believed [transgerism] was a coping mechanism to 'rectify' latent feelings of homosexuality, or the result of environmental trauma or 'poor' parenting. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Transgender Women Are Women. Transgender Men Are Men.," 23 Oct. 2018 If slasher films are morality plays born out of America’s latent Puritanical values, Halloween is the film that codified it all. — Bryan Bishop, The Verge, "The new Halloween is a slasher movie with an actual message," 19 Oct. 2018 There's a lot of latent sibling tension that rings very close to the time Kevin called out Randall for being the favorite on This Is Us. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House Is Basically a Scary This Is Us," 16 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Barack Obama’s victory, the visible symbol of a changing America that no voter could ignore, took all of these latent divides and turbocharged them. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "The 9 thinkers who made sense of 2018’s chaos," 27 Dec. 2018 Obama’s victory, the visible symbol of a changing America that no voter could ignore, took all of these latent divides and turbocharged them. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "The midterm elections revealed that America is in a cold civil war," 7 Nov. 2018 There is nothing as intoxicating as possibility, and the promise latent in every beauty consumable, no matter how tackily packaged or how ludicrous its claims, is matched only by the near guarantee of equivalent disappointment. — Charlotte Shane, The Cut, "I Think About This a Lot: Emily Weiss’s Wedding Prep Routine," 3 Apr. 2018 Most of those deposits are cash, taken off the streets and thereby reducing the latent, associated threat of robbery — a threat not just to those working in the industry but also to the ordinary people around them. — Robb Mandelbaum, New York Times, "Where Pot Entrepreneurs Go When the Banks Just Say No," 4 Jan. 2018 Instead, the characters in this play learn to love one another, traveling into the light and finding their way to the meaning of God through the latent divine spark within each of us. — Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Funny nativity play captures humble spirit of Christmas," 16 Dec. 2017

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