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
Related Words
See illegal.
Other Word Forms
- illicitly adverb
- illicitness noun
Etymology
Origin of illicit
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin illicitus, equivalent to il- 2 + licit ( def. )
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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.
A second tanker - the M/T Sophia - was accused by the US of "conducting illicit activities" and boarded in the Caribbean.
From BBC
Coast Guard has pursued it into the Atlantic in a bid to crack down on a fleet of tankers that ferry illicit oil around the world, including black-market oil sold by Russia.
"These are crude fabrications, illicit offers and sales, and purported fundraising campaigns that have never received any endorsement from the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which cannot condone these scams," it wrote in a statement on Saturday.
From BBC
Most commercial seafaring vessels, even those carrying illicit products, are staffed by crews with little incentive to disobey the orders of the U.S. armed forces.
Mosbah has been charged with illicit enrichment, which is punishable by up to six years in prison, and money laundering, which comes with a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, Abed told AFP.
From Barron's
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.
