While they got a frosty public response, officials say the private message was a tacit green light. Mark Thompson, Time, 16 Nov. 1998Magic requires tacit cooperation of the audience with the magician—an abandonment of skepticism … the willing suspension of disbelief. Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996What a writer must always remember, however, is that with rare exceptions—Edith Wharton then, Louis Auchincloss now—he or she is never really in society; a temporary visa is issued with the tacit stipulation that it will be withdrawn and access denied if confidences are betrayed. John Gregory Dunne, Harp, 1989Myself, I like to play the field and see what happens, but there are certain tacit rules: do not mix freshwater fish with those from the sea; do not mix coarse fat fish with delicate ones … M. F. K. Fisher, With Bold Knife and Fork, 1969 She felt that she had her parents' tacit approval to borrow the car. There was a tacit agreement that he would pay off the loan. See More
Recent Examples on the WebSupporting a resistance would be a tacit admission that its policy to leave was a failure.CBS News, 24 Aug. 2022 According to Ukraine, this was a threat designed to scare the world off continuing arms shipments, and a tacit admission that Russia may lose the war. David Meyer, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2022 And management’s merger talks with DirecTV are in my view a tacit admission the company lacks scale to be a real national competitor. Roger Conrad, Forbes, 30 Jan. 2022 Yet these measures are a tacit admission that foreign forces are no longer steering the lira. Jon Sindreu, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2021 While this was a seemingly small gesture, her attendance reportedly signified her tacit approval of the couple. Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 12 Aug. 2022 Since Russia entered the Syrian war in 2015, Israel has needed Moscow's tacit approval to carry out such attacks. Hadas Gold, CNN, 27 July 2022 Henry had been dealing drugs in prison, with Paulie’s tacit approval.New York Times, 25 July 2022 There are some indications of gangs having tacit approval from their country’s government. Kevin Collier, NBC News, 6 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle French or Latin; Middle French tacite, from Latin tacitus silent, from past participle of tacēre to be silent; akin to Old High German dagēn to be silent