View synonyms for illicitly

illicitly

[ ih-lis-it-lee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adverb

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.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of illicitly¹

First recorded in 1660–70; illicit ( def ) + -ly ( def )

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Example Sentences

Tillis and Cunningham had been locked in a tight race, but the Democrat had to answer in the campaign’s final weeks for illicit texts to a woman not his wife and revelations of infidelity.

From Washington Post

A 2017 report by the Global Drug Survey found that magic mushrooms were less likely to send users to the emergency room than any other illicit drug.

From Popular-Science

High despair scores predicted illicit drug abuse and suicidal thoughts and behaviors regardless of whether 25- to 30-year-olds qualified as depressed.

From Science News

You have this great chapter in the book where you talk about working with a digital forensics expert to find information hidden on the work computer of an employee suspected of illicit activity.

From Fortune

A weakened reward circuitry could be a cause of depression, which would help explain why people with depression may self-medicate by taking illicit drugs that boost dopamine.

From Quanta Magazine

Magomed illicitly made $1.3 million from this bridge loan scheme.

From The Daily Beast

Jackson County has never had a feud; its chief lawlessness has been the promiscuous sale of whiskey, illicitly, of course.

From Project Gutenberg

His conduct had been inspired by "power illicitly obtained."

From Project Gutenberg

The night has a subdued preciousness, like an illicitly pregnant womans.

From Project Gutenberg

The average price of a two-year-old not thus illicitly vended was 70 yen.

From Project Gutenberg

It did not abolish smuggling, inasmuch as a letter might be sent illicitly for a penny.