illicitly
Americanadverb
-
in a way that is not legally permitted or authorized; unlawfully.
She estimates that more than one-third of all software installed on personal computers is obtained illicitly.
-
in a way that is disapproved of or not permitted for moral or ethical reasons.
In divorce proceedings, “corespondent” means the person that one of the partners has been illicitly sleeping with.
Etymology
Origin of illicitly
First recorded in 1660–70; illicit ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
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.
Blanche said the agency would instead target only the terrorists and drug traffickers who illicitly used crypto, not the platforms that hosted them.
From Salon
The security of those materials has been an ongoing concern, with several serious incidents of uranium being illicitly sold in the years since.
From BBC
But just like the monster in Mary Shelley’s novel, this one is also determined to test the bounds of the life it has been illicitly granted.
From Los Angeles Times
In June, the government warned some asylum seekers may be illicitly working as food delivery drivers.
From BBC
It believes tyres should only be exported after shredding, which it said would make it more expensive and difficult to sell them illicitly in India.
From BBC
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.
