illicit

[ih-lis-it]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR illicit ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not legally permitted or authorized; unlicensed; unlawful.

disapproved of or not permitted for moral or ethical reasons.

Origin of illicit

From the Latin word illicitus, dating back to 1645–55. See il-², licit

Related formsil·lic·it·ly, adverbil·lic·it·ness, noun

Can be confusedelicit illicitillegal illicit (see synonym study at illegal)

Synonyms for illicit

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR illicit ON THESAURUS.COM

1. illegitimate, prohibited. See illegal.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for illicitly

unjustly, wrongly, unjustifiably, illegitimately, bootleg

Examples from the Web for illicitly

Contemporary Examples of illicitly

Magomed illicitly made $1.3 million from this bridge loan scheme.
Putin's Criminal Olympics
Michael Weiss
January 27, 2014

Historical Examples of illicitly

A greater volume of trade was probably carried on illicitly with England.
Union and Democracy
Allen Johnson
The night has a subdued preciousness, like an illicitly pregnant womans.
I, Mary MacLane
Mary MacLane
Have you good reasons for supposing him to have been illicitly connected with that girl?
Arthur Mervyn
Charles Brockden Brown
It is needless to remark that the only foodstuffs now for secret sale are those that have been stolen or illicitly concealed.
The Secrets of a Kuttite
Edward O. Mousley
Jackson County has never had a feud; its chief lawlessness has been the promiscuous sale of whiskey, illicitly, of course.
Kentucky's Famous Feuds and Tragedies
Chas. G Mutzenberg

British Dictionary definitions for illicitly

illicit

adjective

another word for illegal

not allowed or approved by common custom, rule, or standardillicit sexual relations

Derived Formsillicitly, adverbillicitness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for illicitly

illicit

adj.

c.1500, from Old French illicite (14c.) "unlawful, forbidden," from Latin illicitus "not allowed, unlawful, illegal," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + licitus "lawful," past participle of licere "to be allowed" (see licence). Related: Illicitly.