adjective

• 1(of a quality or state) existing but not yet developed or manifest; hidden or concealed.

  ‘they have a huge reserve of latent talent’

  More example sentences

  • ‘By the twentieth century the investigations of cognitive psychology had established creativity as a latent quality in every person, applicable to any field of human endeavour.’
  • ‘If you'll excuse me, I have to go tell my wife and children about my latent homosexual qualities and accompanying gender confusion.’
  • ‘This would release humankind from the drudgery of wage-slavery and release the latent talents of 3 billion people.’
  • ‘The effort is to harness the latent talent in the country in TV production, broadcast journalism and media management.’
  • ‘Customer needs and wants, both existing and latent, must be identified through research; know what competitors are offering the customer.’
  • ‘Six minutes and a fraction over 20 seconds later, and the British four were contemplating a row of latent promise but patchy quality.’
  • ‘I guess I was perceived as simply latent talent…’
  • ‘Now, students try their hand at designing, fabrication and displaying models showcasing their latent talent and perception towards various subjects and languages.’
  • ‘TV quizzes have kindled many a latent quizzing talent and brought them to the fore.’
  • ‘For these children from the city's slums and streets, it will be an opportunity to express themselves and discover their latent talents.’
  • ‘The course aims at harnessing the latent talent of participants.’
  • ‘We were surprised at the response as well as the children's latent talents.’
  • ‘Luckily, the discovery of a latent talent for ventriloquism was soon to change his seemingly tragic fate.’
  • ‘The model or template here is taken from Freud's interpretation of dreams and the distinction between manifest and latent content.’
  • ‘They were of course unaware of the latent potential for economic growth just around the corner.’
  • ‘I also think this fear and tension is helping to bring up a normally only latent or dormant aggression and anger that's always been around in our culture.’
  • ‘Amid the groves of academe, entrenched in the ivy covered tranquil buildings, there lurks more politics, latent hostility and simply bad manners than one can imagine.’
  • ‘Mentors represent a vital component of this latent potential for educational renewal and reform.’
  • ‘By forcing the internet to be accessible to everyone, there is a risk that we are levelling it down, reducing its potential to suit many competing, latent, unrealised needs.’
  • ‘This latent predisposition would underlie the adolescent's risk for runaway and experiences with parents, teachers, classmates, and friends.’

  Synonyms

  dormant, quiescent, inactive, untapped, unused

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1Biology Lying dormant or hidden until circumstances are suitable for development or manifestation.
     ‘axillary buds or eyes in the leaf axils are latent growth buds’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Cell proliferation and cell fate are controlled from dividing cell division centres (called meristems) or latent pluripotent stem cells within the cambium or pericycle.’
     • ‘In grapevine, the current season's growth consists of shoots growing from latent buds produced during the previous cycle and made up of five to nine phytomers.’
     • ‘In spring, when the plant is removed from winter storage, one to three branches will grow from the latent buds beneath the cuts.’
     • ‘One to three branches will grow from the latent buds beneath the pruning cuts.’
     • ‘At each node, the vegetative bud either remained latent or developed as a leafy shoot.’
     • ‘Both active and latent enzyme forms were present in all the culture fluids.’
     Synonyms

     dormant, quiescent, inactive, untapped, unused

     View synonyms
  2. 1.2(of a disease) not yet manifesting the usual symptoms.
     ‘diabetes may be latent for some years before diagnosis’
     More example sentences

     • ‘the latent stage of syphilis’
     • ‘Elimination of tuberculosis in industrialized nations hinges on diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection to prevent disease.’
     • ‘Before initiating treatment of latent tuberculosis infection, physicians must ensure that active disease is not present.’
     • ‘Very little is known regarding the usefulness of pyrazinamide and levofloxacin in the treatment of multidrug-resistant latent tuberculosis infection.’
     • ‘Screening for latent tuberculosis infection is most effective if those with positive test results are likely to progress to clinical disease.’
     • ‘Results were similar for two additional adults with latent tuberculosis infection.’
     • ‘A positive test with no evidence of active tuberculosis is latent tuberculosis.’
     • ‘The bacteria may cause active disease, or they may persist at a low level for years before causing disease, a condition known as latent infection.’
     • ‘Primiquine prophylaxis was administered for latent disease.’
     • ‘These inconsistent findings may be explained by a variation in the detection of latent disease.’
     • ‘During latent infection, bradyzoites are present in tissue cysts.’
     • ‘Others include developing regimens that shorten the length of therapy and treating latent disease.’
     • ‘Sometimes latent tuberculosis becomes active years later.’
     • ‘These include chemoprophylaxis for patients with latent infection, and strategies for chemotherapy of dually infected individuals.’
     • ‘After the secondary stage, some people with syphilis progress to a latent stage where they have no more symptoms.’
     • ‘Thus, the combination of obesity with a genetically-based insulin derangement, may reveal latent diabetes.’
     • ‘Diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure and cirrhosis of the liver seem to predispose the activation to disease of the otherwise dormant latent infection.’
     • ‘Chlamydia pneumoniae is an obligate intracellular organism capable of persistent latent infection.’
     • ‘Therefore, the possibility of neurosyphilis should be considered in patients with early or late latent syphilis.’
     • ‘Nevertheless, adult turkeys may harbor latent infections of coccidia that flare up when the host individual is stressed.’
     • ‘During the latent stage of syphilis, skin lesions resolve, and patients are asymptomatic.’
     Synonyms

     dormant, quiescent, inactive, untapped, unused

     View synonyms
  3. 1.3Physiology (of a microorganism, especially a virus) present in the body without causing disease, but capable of doing so at a later stage, or when transmitted to another body.
     ‘First, they stimulated the T-cells strongly enough to prompt the cell to express latent virus but not to trigger other cellular functions.’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Herpes zoster ophthalmicus occurs when reactivation of the latent virus in the trigeminal ganglia involves the ophthalmic division of the nerve.’
     • ‘Herpes zoster results from reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus infection.’
     • ‘Also, a latent adenovirus infection has been reported to induce corticosteroid resistance.’
     • ‘Many asylum seekers carry the microbe in a harmless latent form.’
     • ‘The benefits of HRT may be latent until older age, when cognitive reserve is depleting or Alzheimer's disease is more likely to set in.’
     Synonyms

     dormant, quiescent, inactive, untapped, unused

     View synonyms