Synonym Chooser

How is the word explicit distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of explicit are definite, express, and specific. While all these words mean "perfectly clear in meaning," explicit implies such verbal plainness and distinctness that there is no need for inference and no room for difficulty in understanding.

explicit instructions

When could definite be used to replace explicit?

While in some cases nearly identical to explicit, definite stresses precise, clear statement or arrangement that leaves no doubt or indecision.

the law is definite in such cases

When would express be a good substitute for explicit?

The meanings of express and explicit largely overlap; however, express implies both explicitness and direct and positive utterance.

her express wishes

When might specific be a better fit than explicit?

The words specific and explicit are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, specific applies to what is precisely and fully treated in detail or particular.

two specific criticisms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of explicit The executive order doesn’t make that an explicit limitation. Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025 Elon Musk's Grok AI has been found responding to requests for explicit images of women on X. As flagged by Kolina Koltai, a researcher at Bellingcat, X users have been asking Grok AI to undress women in comments below their posts, 404Media reports. Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 9 May 2025 Bear in mind that this was made in 1936, so don’t expect anything super explicit. James Factora, Them., 2 May 2025 But the original story, which follows a married woman embarking on a scandalous affair with the estate’s gamekeeper, was so explicit that it was actually banned as pornography until 1960. Jenna Ryu, SELF, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for explicit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explicit
Adjective
  • Passengers should consider paying extra for seat assignments on long flights, when traveling with companions, or if a specific seat type is essential for comfort.
    Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 10 May 2025
  • Illinois voters do not register with a specific party, so the new pope's political affiliation in the United States has not been formally documented.
    Rachel Raposas, People.com, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • Business Tech News #5 – One year later, Target calls its express self-checkout a success.
    Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
  • An express pass, allowing quicker access to rides, runs another $130 to $330.
    Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • Seafood Courses The eight courses begin with an amuse-bouche containing definite New York touches including a King Salmon Everything Bagel plus a suggestion of a smash burger but composed of the fatty tuna Otoro, egg yolk gelee and Choux pastry and an A5 Wagyu & Hokkaido Uni Sando.
    Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
  • American admiration of French pharmacy products is, without a doubt, connected to a general sense of fascination and mysticism with French beauty and style, and there's a definite allure to that foreignness.
    Annie Blackman, Allure, 5 May 2025
Adjective
  • Crypto Confidential: Forbes' definitive guide to crypto and blockchain, delivered to your inbox every Saturday.
    Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
  • Misch’s lawyer has previously argued that there’s no definitive proof Michaela actually died.
    Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • In a bombing campaign, for example, the source is usually unambiguous and the result immediate and often visually spectacular.
    Boyd van Dijk, Foreign Affairs, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The order—responding to an emergency request to prevent the immediate removal of Venezuelan migrants—was gratifyingly unambiguous.
    Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Indeed, her portraits are unmistakable: characterized by saturated backdrops, tactile surfaces, and a deep reverence for Nigerian studio photography traditions that elevate her sitters to mythic status.
    Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 7 May 2025
  • There's no official announcement time during a conclave, but there is one unmistakable signal: white smoke.
    Dan Cody, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
Adjective
  • With over 25,000 visitors to this test page, the results were unequivocal.
    Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
  • But even that is not the unequivocal message that the head of HHS should be sending, said Ratner, the infectious diseases doctor in New York.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Biss repeated pillars of the comprehensive plan: to allow for more housing in Evanston, to create more housing in Evanston and to implement sustainable practices in Evanston in alignment with the city’s Healthy Business Ordinance.
    Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2025
  • Still, some Republicans are pointing to the recent criminal cases as evidence of a systemic flaw that requires a comprehensive solution, like requiring all Americans to provide a birth certificate, passport or other citizenship document to register to vote.
    Miles Parks, NPR, 17 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Explicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explicit. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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