tacitness
State of unspokenness
Tacitness is the quality of being unspoken or implied rather than directly stated.
It describes how understanding passes between people without explicit communication: The tacitness of their agreement made it difficult to enforce.
The word appears most often in discussions of implicit knowledge—expertise that's hard to articulate because it was never put into words.
Not verbally expressed
- impliedSuggested without stating
- understoodGrasped the meaning
- assumedTaken as true
- underlyingExisting beneath the surface
latent · subtext · inference · connotation · insinuation · allusion · innuendo · suggestion
Total lack of sound
- stillnessComplete lack of motion
- hushAbsence of sound
- wordlessnessLacking verbal expression
- speechlessnessInability to speak
muteness · unsaid · unmentioned · unexpressed · suppressed · held back · bitten tongue · omission
Habitual verbal restraint
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
- restraintControl over impulses
- guardednessDefensive emotional reserve
- circumspectionCareful consideration of consequences
caution · prudence · inhibition · hesitation · wariness · self-control · modesty · demureness
Expressive body movements
- body languageUnspoken physical expression
- eye contactDirect visual connection
- facial expressionEmotive muscle positioning
- nodsDownward head gestures
glances · knowing smile · raised eyebrow · silence · pauses · intonation · tone · kinesics
unspoken
Not verbally expressed
- impliedSuggested without stating
- understoodGrasped the meaning
- assumedTaken as true
underlying · latent · subtext · inference · connotation · insinuation · allusion · innuendo · suggestion · implication
silence
Total lack of sound
- stillnessComplete lack of motion
- hushAbsence of sound
- wordlessnessLacking verbal expression
speechlessness · muteness · unsaid · unmentioned · unexpressed · suppressed · held back · bitten tongue · omission
reticence
Habitual verbal restraint
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
- restraintControl over impulses
- guardednessDefensive emotional reserve
circumspection · caution · prudence · inhibition · hesitation · wariness · self-control · modesty · demureness · aloofness
gestures
Expressive body movements
- body languageUnspoken physical expression
- eye contactDirect visual connection
- facial expressionEmotive muscle positioning
nods · glances · knowing smile · raised eyebrow · silence · pauses · intonation · tone · kinesics
tacitnessexplicitness
Quality of being unambiguous
overtness · directness · openness · transparency · forthrightness
tacitnessverbalization
Expressing through speech
articulation · vocalization · utterance · declaration · statement