easy
The interviewer used an open question to elicit a detailed answer.
What does Elicit mean?
Elicit means to bring out an answer, reaction, or feeling.
Dictionary definition
To draw information from someone, often through questions, or cause a response, feeling, or ability to emerge.
Example sentences
Elicit in a sentence
medium
The puppet show elicited delighted laughter from the children.
medium
The coach designed a new challenge to elicit the team's best effort.
Writing practice
Ready to write your own? Study the examples, then practice elicit in a sentence with Sentence Builder checklist feedback.
Quick practice
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Practice the meaning of Elicit
Answer three quick questions about its meaning and related words.
Question 1 of 3
Practice 1
A survey elicited suggestions. What did it do?
Elicit describes obtaining responses; it does not establish whether they are correct.
Practice 2
The funny drawing may ___ a smile.
Elicit is the verb for prompting a reaction. Illicit is an adjective meaning forbidden or unlawful.
Practice 3
Which question is most likely to elicit a detailed explanation?
An open how question invites an explanation rather than only a yes or no response.
Practice complete
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Pronunciation coach
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Elicit
Voice settings
Sounds like
ih · lis · it · strongest beat: lis
Tap each sound part, then blend the whole word together.
Learn
WordElicit.
Partverb.
MeaningElicit means to bring out an answer, reaction, or feeling.
ExampleExample: The interviewer used an open question to elicit a detailed answer.
Word breakdown
3 syllables. Say each part, then blend the word.
- Syllables
- ih · lis · it
- Strongest beat
- lis
- Ending
- it
- Tip
- Put a little extra energy on lis.
Your turn
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Synonyms
Words like Elicit
evokeUse when bringing out a feeling or reaction, as in evoke sympathy.
extractUse for obtaining information through questioning, often with more pressure than elicit suggests.
Antonym review
Does Elicit have an opposite?
No single verb reverses both obtaining information and prompting a reaction. Suppress describes holding a response back, not a general opposite of elicit.
Synonym practice
Word family
Elicit word family
Base word
elicit
verb
elicited
Past tense: the question elicited several answers.
noun
elicitation
The process of drawing out information or a response.
Related words
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Student support
Understand Elicit
Hint for students
Look for what is brought out: an answer, a smile, a memory, or an effort. The pattern is often elicit something from someone.
Common mix-up
Elicit and illicit sound alike. Elicit is a verb; illicit describes something forbidden or unlawful. Elicit can prompt a reaction without asking a question, and it does not always involve force.
Try it in class or at home
Give students a yes-or-no question about a story. Have them rewrite it to elicit an explanation, then identify the words that invite a fuller response.
Teacher prompt
In "The picture elicited a memory," what came out, and what prompted it? Compare that with a question that elicits information.
Learning activities
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