illicit
Americanadjective
-
not legally permitted or authorized; unlicensed; unlawful.
- Synonyms:
- prohibited, illegitimate
-
disapproved of or not permitted for moral or ethical reasons.
adjective
-
another word for illegal
-
not allowed or approved by common custom, rule, or standard
illicit sexual relations
Synonym Usage
See illegal.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of illicit
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin illicitus, equivalent to il- 2 + licit ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does illicit compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Illicit means not allowed by law or custom. It's illegal to kill endangered elephants, but many poachers still engage in the Illicit ivory trade. Illicit usually refers to something that is not morally proper or acceptable. Illicit activities — like smuggling or counterfeiting — happen under the radar of the law. Illicit is from Latin illicitus, from the prefix in-, "not," plus licitus, "lawful."
Vocabulary lists containing illicit
Some Tricky Homonyms
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He often writes about sanctions, foreign bribery, illicit finance, competition, trade, data privacy and a range of other topics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
He allegedly used his illicit wealth to fulfill his dreams of playing professional soccer, buying himself a spot in the starting lineup for teams he bankrolled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Failure to adequately police money laundering could violate federal laws about money laundering, illicit transmission and possibly bank fraud, former federal prosecutors said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Meanwhile, a "fraud blitz" involving 500 new officers will be part of a crackdown on gangs who are accused of using Post Offices and High Street shops to "launder illicit billions", the Metro reports.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
He found that the peasants’ vocabulary didn’t even have a word for illicit drugs, which almost no one could afford anyway.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
