Implicative

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Signifying a connection or a suggestion that implies something may hold true
2. Relating to the inferred meanings or consequences stemming from a given assertion
3. Showing a hidden or indirect meaning that suggests a particular idea or relationship

Etymology: "Implicative" is built from "implicate" and the suffix "-ive," which turns a verb into an adjective meaning "tending to do or be what the base describes." So an implicative thing is one that tends to implicate, or involve, something else. The base verb itself comes from the Latin "implicare," meaning "to entangle" or "to fold into," and that physical sense of being tangled up is what the modern idea of implication grows out of: one fact folded into another, bound up with it so that the one cannot be separated from the other. In use, the adjective tends to describe a clue, sign, or statement that points toward a conclusion without stating it outright. A remark that suggests a rival is guilty, for instance, is implicative of guilt. The word keeps the sense of entanglement, since the implied thing is tied to what is actually said rather than sitting apart from it.

Synonyms: suggestive, indicative

Antonyms: explicit