Elicit: meaning, example and synonyms
Elicitv. To draw out a response, reaction, or information from someone.
Example
By asking open-ended questions rather than leading ones, the anthropologist elicited stories that her informants had never shared with earlier researchers.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Synonyms
- evoke, extract, draw out, prompt
- Antonyms
- suppress, stifle, quash
- Memory tip
- Elicit = e (out) + lic: coax it OUT. Not illicit (illegal).
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Check yourself: Elicit in context
The comedian's carefully timed pause was designed to ______ laughter from even the most skeptical members of the audience.
Answer: elicit. A pause meant to draw laughter out of the audience is meant to elicit it. Renounce (formally reject), vouch (confirm as reliable) and spearhead (lead) don't fit.
Through patient questioning, the therapist managed to ______ details of the childhood memory that the patient had long been unable to articulate.
Answer: elicit. Questioning that draws out details someone could not express elicits them. Relinquish (give up), vouch (confirm as reliable) and spearhead (lead) don't fit.