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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of licit 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 Farmers upstate were growing fields of licit marijuana! Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 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
  • Fraudsters will seek to distribute duty evaded goods as well as counterfeit alcoholic products into legitimate retail supply chains.
    Mark Littler, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
  • But Aoun’s presidency signals the changing political environment in another key way; unlike his predecessors, Aoun has not endorsed Hezbollah as a legitimate resistance movement.
    Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 15 May 2025
Adjective
  • A number of legal experts see Trump’s lawsuit as meritless, but the litigation comes as CBS-parent Paramount Global seeks Trump administration approval for its merger with Skydance.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 20 May 2025
  • The result of this lack of effective legal representation can lead to unnecessary jail admissions or prison sentences, which then damage individuals, families and communities through incarceration and lost wages.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate student and lawful permanent resident who has been detained by immigration authorities since March, is scheduled to appear at a pivotal immigration hearing Thursday that could determine his future in the United States.
    Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
  • The buyer, a U.K. citizen married to a U.S. citizen, was set to receive a green card but hadn’t had it long enough to meet the SBA’s new six-month lookback requirement for lawful permanent residents.
    Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Licit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/licit. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on licit

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