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
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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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for licit
Adjective
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The good news is that there are several legitimate strategies to reduce or defer that bill, from gold IRAs to mining stocks to tax-loss harvesting.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
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Loss of jobs, especially if whole industries or professions (including journalism) are nearly destroyed, is a legitimate concern, as is AI’s effect on our thinking skills.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The attorneys have requested a temporary restraining order from the court, which would halt the law’s enforcement while the legal challenge plays out.—
David Williams,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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The administration has failed to provide any evidence that the people killed in the attacks were attempting to bring drugs into the country, and legal experts have taken umbrage at the assertion that drug traffickers can be considered armed combatants.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The deal aligns Grok with the Defense Department’s standard terms, permitting use of the model for any lawful purpose and creating a formal pathway for deployment beyond unclassified systems.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Mar. 2026
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This past week, in the lead-up to the attack on Iran, the Defense Department demanded Anthropic hand over its AI without restrictions for lawful military use.—
March 1,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Licit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/licit. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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