Synonyms of licit

licit

adjective

ˈli-sət 

as in legitimate

permitted by law

law enforcement agencies are demanding stricter regulation of the sale of licit medications that can later be used in the home manufacture of illicit drugs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• legitimate
• legal
• lawful
• justifiable
• authorized
• regulation
• legit
• allowable
• permissible
• constitutional
• good
• proper
• statutory
• noncriminal
• warrantable
• right
• innocent
• de jure
• just

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• illegal
• illicit
• unlawful
• illegitimate
• wrongful
• evil
• wrong
• immoral
• criminal
• sinful
• prohibited
• bad
• corrupt
• wicked
• guilty
• forbidden
• unjust
• unauthorized
• impermissible
• lawless
• iniquitous
• reprobate
• unconstitutional
• outlawed
• banned
• under-the-table
• under-the-counter
• nonconstitutional

Synonym Chooser

How is the word licit different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of licit are lawful, legal, and legitimate. While all these words mean "being in accordance with law," licit applies to a strict conformity to the provisions of the law and applies especially to what is regulated by law.

the licit use of drugs by doctors

When is it sensible to use lawful instead of licit?

The words lawful and licit can be used in similar contexts, but lawful may apply to conformity with law of any sort (such as natural, divine, common, or canon).

the lawful sovereign

In what contexts can legal take the place of licit?

While in some cases nearly identical to licit, legal applies to what is sanctioned by law or in conformity with the law, especially as it is written or administered by the courts.

legal residents of the state

Where would legitimate be a reasonable alternative to licit?

Although the words legitimate and licit have much in common, legitimate may apply to a legal right or status but also, in extended use, to a right or status supported by tradition, custom, or accepted standards.

a perfectly legitimate question about taxes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of licit

The cash was used to buy gold, which was then shipped to Dubai and sold, thus entering the licit economy. —Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025

Bowyer’s co-workers became clients of his bookmaking operation, the line between his licit and illicit earnings becoming so porous as to feel nonexistent. —David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025

Saulnier’s script suggests his thorough research into the fine points of police procedure, licit and illicit, and likewise into the intricacies of judicial authority and hand-to-hand combat (including minutiae about firearms and ammunition). —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2024

In Guerrero, more than 65% live in poverty, and around 40 criminal groups operate in different licit and illicit activities, according to the International Crisis Group. —Karol Suárez, The Courier-Journal, 25 Apr. 2024

In trying to please its senior ranks, the army has allowed officers to benefit from criminal enterprises—the army helps preside over Myanmar’s licit and illicit economies. —Avinash Paliwal, Foreign Affairs, 24 Jan. 2024

But animals’ taste for human goods — licit and illicit — can also bring trouble for them and for us. —Emily Anthes, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2023

The only morally licit treatment of an ectopic pregnancy, for a Catholic, besides watch and wait, is the salpingectomy, on the basis that the demise of the pregnancy is an indirect effect of acting to preserve the mother’s life. —Joanna Petrone, Longreads, 18 Aug. 2017

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