as in tacit
understood although not put into words
an unspoken promise to remain faithful to one another
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Recent Examples of unspoken
What looks like a disagreement about expenses, inheritance, or support is often really about fear, control, or unspoken grief.
—
Tiffany Aliche, SELF, 23 Feb. 2026
Sizable, steadfast subscriber bases are hard-won, and keeping them involves the fulfillment of an unspoken contract as well as the actual one that paying readers sign.
—John Williams, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
Here the strings underline the lyric’s unspoken threat and give a spiky subtext to the silky vocals.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 19 Feb. 2026
Hoeness, the honorary president who played for Bayern from 1970 to 1979, rarely has an unspoken thought, especially about the standard of the team or the quality of coaching, meaning that plenty of scrutiny comes from inside the club, from seemingly unimpeachable figures.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unspoken
Tiffany Aliche, SELF, 23 Feb. 2026
Sizable, steadfast subscriber bases are hard-won, and keeping them involves the fulfillment of an unspoken contract as well as the actual one that paying readers sign.
—John Williams, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
Here the strings underline the lyric’s unspoken threat and give a spiky subtext to the silky vocals.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 19 Feb. 2026
Hoeness, the honorary president who played for Bayern from 1970 to 1979, rarely has an unspoken thought, especially about the standard of the team or the quality of coaching, meaning that plenty of scrutiny comes from inside the club, from seemingly unimpeachable figures.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unspoken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unspoken
Adjective
-
Because substantial uncertainty surrounds the effects of cannabis use during pregnancy, calls to reconsider punitive policies should not be interpreted as tacit endorsement of prenatal cannabis use.—
Lauren Micalizzi,
STAT,
2 Mar. 2026
-
If this happens, America should back their efforts with continued military action because doing otherwise would function, in effect, as tacit support for the Iranian regime.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There is an implicit understanding that when health providers fail to account for how race, gender, disability, and socioeconomic status shape health outcomes, patients die.—
Robert Raben,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
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That is true, but isn’t your dating someone like that an implicit endorsement?—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unspoken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unspoken. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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