implied

[im-plahyd] /ɪmˈplaɪd/
adjective
1.
involved, indicated, or suggested without being directly or explicitly stated; tacitly understood:
an implied rebuke; an implied compliment.
Origin
1520-30; imply + -ed2
Related forms
impliedly
[im-plahy-id-lee] /ɪmˈplaɪ ɪd li/ (Show IPA), adverb
unimplied, adjective
well-implied, adjective
Can be confused
explicit, implicit, implied.

imply

[im-plahy] /ɪmˈplaɪ/
verb (used with object), implied, implying.
1.
to indicate or suggest without being explicitly stated:
His words implied a lack of faith.
2.
(of words) to signify or mean.
3.
to involve as a necessary circumstance:
Speech implies a speaker.
4.
Obsolete. to enfold.
Origin
1325-75; Middle English implien, emplien < Middle French emplier < Latin implicāre; see implicate
Related forms
reimply, verb (used with object), reimplied, reimplying.
superimply, verb (used with object), superimplied, superimplying.
Can be confused
imply, infer (see usage note at infer)
Synonyms
3. assume, include.
Usage note
See infer.
Examples from the web for implied
  • He hinted at corruption and implied it was under some sort of external control, without saying what that meant.
  • Taking up the implied challenge, he set about photographing clouds.
  • It was not about serenity and peacefulness, which the usual silky-water picture would have implied.
  • The giant size of the creature is implied by filling fully half of the top half of the frame with the shell.
  • Whether that implied a readiness to act, she's not sure.
  • The birth of a new star implied the variability of the heavens.
  • The article also implied that serving minority students has a negative impact on graduation and default rates.
  • The discrepancy between rising tuition costs and penurious endowment payouts makes a lie out of that implied promise.
  • Of course, that only amounts to an implied criticism.
  • It will be implied that asking such questions is inappropriate.
British Dictionary definitions for implied

implied

/ɪmˈplaɪd/
adjective
1.
hinted at or suggested; not directly expressed: an implied criticism
Derived Forms
impliedly (ɪmˈplaɪɪdlɪ) adverb

imply

/ɪmˈplaɪ/
verb (transitive; may take a clause as object) -plies, -plying, -plied
1.
to express or indicate by a hint; suggest: what are you implying by that remark?
2.
to suggest or involve as a necessary consequence
3.
(logic) to enable (a conclusion) to be inferred
4.
(obsolete) to entangle or enfold
infer
Word Origin
C14: from Old French emplier, from Latin implicāre to involve; see implicate
Word Origin and History for implied

imply

v.

late 14c., "to enfold, enwrap, entangle" (the classical Latin sense), from Old French emplier, from Latin implicare "involve" (see implication). Meaning "to involve something unstated as a logical consequence" first recorded c.1400; that of "to hint at" from 1580s. Related: Implied; implying. The distinction between imply and infer is in "What do you imply by that remark?" But, "What am I to infer from that remark?"