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Definition of Explicit memory
Medically reviewed by Min Clinic Staff | Updated: January 2026
Explicit memory: Memory in which there is a need for conscious recollection in order to recall something. By contrast, in implicit memory there is a lack of conscious awareness in the act of recollection.
Implicit memory may survive largely unimpaired at the same time as a person's powers of explicit memory decline with age or are devastated in Alzheimer disease.