Impliedly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that conveys understanding without overt declaration
2. By suggesting meanings or intentions subtly instead of explicitly expressing them
3. In a manner that hints at or indicates something without clear or explicit mention

Etymology: "Implied" comes from the verb "imply," which traces back to Latin "implicare," meaning "to fold in" or "to entangle," with the sense of something folded inside that must be unfolded to be seen. The English verb carried that sense of hidden content: a meaning folded into words, waiting to be drawn out. "Implied" is the past participle of that verb, used as an adjective for something suggested rather than stated outright. The adverb "impliedly" is simply that adjective plus the suffix "-ly," which turns an adjective into an adverb of manner. The suffix itself has deep roots: it descends from an Old English form, "-līċe," which was attached to adjectives to mean "in the manner of" or "in the way of." Over the centuries that Old English ending wore down into the Middle English "-ly" we use today, and it can be attached to nearly any adjective, which is why English can build "impliedly" from a word that did not exist in Old English at all.

Synonyms: implicitly, tacitly, inferredly, suggestively, indirectly

Antonyms: explicitly, clearly, directly, openly, plainly