illicit
adjective
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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
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.
Sean Emery, Oc Register, 4 Dec. 2025
According to an affidavit, Parker would receive large shipments of illicit products from overseas, break them into smaller packages and mail them out, the outlet added.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 4 Dec. 2025
Washington says the deployments are part of Operation Southern Spear, a counter‑narcotics campaign targeting drug shipments and trafficking networks, and has included airstrikes on vessels alleged to carry illicit drugs.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Washington agreed to roll back steep tariffs on Chinese exports in exchange for Beijing cracking down on illicit fentanyl trade, pausing export controls of rare earths and resuming purchases of American soybeans.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illicit
Cite this Entry
“Illicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illicit. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
illicit
adjective
In re Haas, 48 F.3d 1153 (1995)
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