illicit

adjective

il·​lic·​it (ˌ)i(l)-ˈli-sət How to pronounce illicit (audio)
: not permitted : unlawful
illicitly adverb

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Illicit and Elicit

Illicit, while not exactly an everyday word, is far more common than its antonym, licit ("not forbidden by law, permissible"). Perhaps this is a function of our oft-noted fascination with bad behavior and boredom with rectitude. In any case, illicit may be used of behavior that is either unlawful or immoral. These categories frequently overlap, but they are not always synonymous, as some unlawful activities (illicit cigarette smoking) may not be considered immoral, while some immoral activities (an illicit affair) are not illegal. Illicit is occasionally confused with elicit because of the similarity in their pronunciations, but the two words have decidedly different meanings and functions: in contemporary English, elicit is a verb meaning "to get (a response, information, etc.) from someone," while illicit appears solely as an adjective.

Examples of illicit in a Sentence

The wedding is mounted in traditional Punjabi style, but underneath the formal fanfare simmer dysfunctional-family tensions, deep dark secrets, … and illicit affairs. David Ansen, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2002
"Thank you, Lieutenant," she said, bowing her head, just as she might in everyday, civilian life, and I felt suddenly illicit in her presence, as though we'd slipped out of sight of our chaperons … Chang-rae Lee, A Gesture Life, 1999
The companies that carry cellular … have adopted a number of monitoring techniques to detect illicit calls … Paul Wallich, Scientific American, March 1994
He was arrested for selling illicit copies of the software. She had an illicit affair with her boss.
Recent Examples on the Web Though it is used for legitimate purposes to help trauma victims being treated in hospitals, illicit use has proliferated in the last decade. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 18 Oct. 2024 The pressure to perform plus residual physical ailments means illicit painkillers are a necessity, however. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024 The Treasury Department announced that the sanctions would target the shadow fleet of tankers and illicit operators that help transport the Iranian regime's petroleum exports in violation of existing sanctions. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024 Some Native groups, such as the Onondaga in the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederation, explicitly rejected citizenship as an illicit reduction of their sovereignty and began to issue passports to their people. Daniel Mandell / Made By History, TIME, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for illicit 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'illicit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin illicitus, from in- + licitus lawful — more at licit

First Known Use

1506, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of illicit was in 1506

Dictionary Entries Near illicit

Cite this Entry

“Illicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illicit. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

illicit

adjective
il·​lic·​it (ˈ)il-ˈ(l)is-ət How to pronounce illicit (audio)
: illegal
illicit drug traffic
illicitly adverb

Legal Definition

illicit

adjective
il·​lic·​it il-ˈli-sət How to pronounce illicit (audio)
: not permitted : unlawful
an illicit motive to defeat or evade the taxesIn re Haas, 48 F.3d 1153 (1995)

More from Merriam-Webster on illicit

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