ill-gotten
adjective
ill-got·ten
ˈil-ˈgä-tᵊn 
: acquired by illicit or improper means
ill-gotten gains
Examples of ill-gotten in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The goal was ill-gotten, as the officials missed Perfetti tripping Mason McTavish, a play that led directly to the scoring sequence.
—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
The colonial appetite for firewood was decimating Pennsylvania’s forests—many of them ill-gotten from the Lenape, as Franklin knew but never acknowledged.
—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
Amy closes a big business deal — selling her company Koyohaus to Jordan Forster (Maria Bello), the owner of a big-box store chain — and Danny finds the resources, though ill-gotten, to reenergize his construction company.
—
Erin Qualey,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2023
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Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
The colonial appetite for firewood was decimating Pennsylvania’s forests—many of them ill-gotten from the Lenape, as Franklin knew but never acknowledged.
—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
Amy closes a big business deal — selling her company Koyohaus to Jordan Forster (Maria Bello), the owner of a big-box store chain — and Danny finds the resources, though ill-gotten, to reenergize his construction company.
—
Erin Qualey,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Ill-gotten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ill-gotten. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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