illicit

[ih-lis-it] /ɪˈlɪs ɪt/

adjective

not legally permitted or authorized; unlicensed; unlawful.

disapproved of or not permitted for moral or ethical reasons.

Origin

1645-55; < Latin illicitus. See il-², licit

Related forms

illicitly, adverb

illicitness, noun

Can be confused

elicit, illicit.

illegal, illicit (see synonym study at illegal)

Synonyms

1. illegitimate, prohibited. See illegal.

Examples from the web for illicit

He would be forbidden to consume alcohol, use illicit drugs, or possess a gun.
The goal was to gather enough evidence to halt the illicit trade by putting the counterfeiters behind bars.
It soon became obvious that whatever spark they had between them had been kept alive by the illicit nature of the relationship.
We applaud this decision, and urge those who engage in these illicit practices to stop driving the prices of textbooks up.
That's why companies were so willing to pay off financial aid officials or obtain illicit subsidies.
As soon as the he hung up, he felt a pulse of excitement, the promise of illicit thrills.
Nor have the prices of illicit drugs-which would rise sharply if the drug war were having any success-changed appreciably.
E-mail won't be perfect until it comes up with a secret code for communicating with your illicit lover.
It's one of those things that no one can quite explain, though theories- mostly related to illicit activities- abound.
Underground poker clubs have the lure of the illicit.

British Dictionary definitions for illicit

illicit

/ɪˈlɪsɪt/

adjective

another word for illegal

not allowed or approved by common custom, rule, or standard: illicit sexual relations

Derived Forms

illicitly, adverb
illicitness, noun

Word Origin and History for 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.