as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
had a long history of using illicit drugs
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illicit
Robert Holden, a Queens City Council member that represents the area, shared a video on X during the 2024 raid that showed a sheriff’s deputy flipping a switch that changed the counter display glass from frosted to clear, revealing shelves of illicit weed products.
—
Ashley Southall, New York Times, 15 May 2025
For years, a Chinese-language market for crypto scammers and money launderers—by some measures, the internet's biggest black market of all time—operated in plain sight on the messaging service Telegram, facilitating tens of billions of dollars in illicit finance.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 14 May 2025
What Pete Rose did was selfish, illicit, shameful, crooked.
—John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2025
Cauca, a region rich in mining, illicit crops, and trafficking routes, has become a focal point in Colombia’s armed conflict.
—Elizabeth Dickinson, Foreign Affairs, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for illicit
Ashley Southall, New York Times, 15 May 2025
For years, a Chinese-language market for crypto scammers and money launderers—by some measures, the internet's biggest black market of all time—operated in plain sight on the messaging service Telegram, facilitating tens of billions of dollars in illicit finance.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 14 May 2025
What Pete Rose did was selfish, illicit, shameful, crooked.
—John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2025
Cauca, a region rich in mining, illicit crops, and trafficking routes, has become a focal point in Colombia’s armed conflict.
—Elizabeth Dickinson, Foreign Affairs, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for illicit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illicit
Adjective
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Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
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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
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The court concluded that the administration’s unilateral actions without approval by Congress were unlawful.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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Of note: Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful.—
Will Matsuda,
New York Times,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Ottawa County prosecutors are considering pursuing criminal charges against the shooter, a 20-year-old, Sparks told the outlets.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
19 May 2025
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MacLean’s criminal history is lengthy and spans multiple states.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illicit. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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