as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
had a long history of using illicit drugs
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Recent Examples of illicit
The 2019 to 2020 outbreak of lung injuries related to e-cigarette or vape use was linked partly to the use of unregulated or illicit cannabis vaping products.
—
Lucy Xiaolu Wang, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
Illegally traded species also were more likely to be the cause of disease, though researchers emphasized that risk is not limited to illicit markets.
—Meg Tanaka, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Some pundits claim that social media is the equivalent to smoking cigarettes or illicit drugs, a common but false claim in technology moral panics (indeed such comparisons have been identified as a warning sign of misinformation).
—William Proctor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
Experts warn the gap reflects a broader failure to confront what has become the country’s largest illicit economy, with growing impacts on the environment, public health and Indigenous communities.
—ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illicit
Lucy Xiaolu Wang, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
Illegally traded species also were more likely to be the cause of disease, though researchers emphasized that risk is not limited to illicit markets.
—Meg Tanaka, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Some pundits claim that social media is the equivalent to smoking cigarettes or illicit drugs, a common but false claim in technology moral panics (indeed such comparisons have been identified as a warning sign of misinformation).
—William Proctor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
Experts warn the gap reflects a broader failure to confront what has become the country’s largest illicit economy, with growing impacts on the environment, public health and Indigenous communities.
—ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illicit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illicit
Adjective
-
Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
-
Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.—
Lisa Beebe,
Los Angeles Magazine,
5 July 2017
Adjective
-
Under Texas law, a contract signed under duress is generally voidable if it was obtained through an improper or unlawful threat that overrode the signer’s free will.—
Chase Rogers,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Violating that trust is both cruel and unlawful.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The laws, which her party backed in recent years, eliminated preliminary detention in certain cases and raised the threshold for seizing criminal assets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The only real threat is a whistleblower, like an outcast kid overhearing the whole criminal scheme from the floor below his mother’s office.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Illicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illicit. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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