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
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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This Week in Words: September 1 - 7, 2018
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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.
The bags are usually $1.49 or 99 cents, which feels almost illicit in this economy.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
For Cage, it’s a combination of its visual aesthetic and the moral ambiguity of the mysteries and illicit affairs in film noir that have made the genre endure among cinephiles.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
The exchange is “KYC free,” referring to federal know-your-customer rules that require banks and brokers to guard against illicit finance and fraud by requiring users to disclose their identities.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
Many blockchain analytics firms help law enforcement decipher “anonymous” transactions and hunt down illicit activity.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Blood obtained, I observed to her repeatedly, through illicit means.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
