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Illicit and Elicit
Illicit, while not exactly an everyday word, is far more common than its antonym, licit ("not forbidden by law, permissible"). Perhaps this is a function of our oft-noted fascination with bad behavior and boredom with rectitude. In any case, illicit may be used of behavior that is either unlawful or immoral. These categories frequently overlap, but they are not always synonymous, as some unlawful activities (illicit cigarette smoking) may not be considered immoral, while some immoral activities (an illicit affair) are not illegal. Illicit is occasionally confused with elicit because of the similarity in their pronunciations, but the two words have decidedly different meanings and functions: in contemporary English, elicit is a verb meaning "to get (a response, information, etc.) from someone," while illicit appears solely as an adjective.
Synonyms
Examples of illicit in a Sentence
David Ansen, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2002
"Thank you, Lieutenant," she said, bowing her head, just as she might in everyday, civilian life, and I felt suddenly illicit in her presence, as though we'd slipped out of sight of our chaperons …
—Chang-rae Lee, A Gesture Life, 1999
The companies that carry cellular … have adopted a number of monitoring techniques to detect illicit calls …
—Paul Wallich, Scientific American, March 1994
He was arrested for selling illicit copies of the software.
She had an illicit affair with her boss.
Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Among other topics that Yellen plans to discuss with her Chinese counterparts include bilateral cooperation on countering illicit finance and working on global issues such as climate change and financial stability, according to the Treasury Department.
—Laura He, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
In children, this kind of unresponsiveness most often comes from ingesting something — an accidental overdose of a medication or an illicit drug.
—Julia Michie Bruckner, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
New York’s rollout of legalized marijuana has been defined by a slow licensing process, legal challenges, a proliferation of thousands of illicit shops and a lack of substantial regulatory enforcement.
—Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
That’s a joy that pervades the book, despite a subplot involving an illicit romance that ends in tragedy.
—Chelsea Leu, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
Some students clearly relished the opportunity to visit places that otherwise may have seemed illicit or inappropriate: Christian churches, gay bars, tattoo parlors.
—Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Not long after he was cleared, however, leaked nudes and illicit messages purported to be from Horner were sent to several media publications including Fortune.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 27 Mar. 2024
The affidavit references Worley sending other girls illicit messages via Snapchat.
—Tracy Neal, arkansasonline.com, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'illicit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near illicit
Cite this Entry
“Illicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illicit. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
Legal Definition
illicit
adjective
In re Haas, 48 F.3d 1153 (1995)
More from Merriam-Webster on illicit
Nglish: Translation of illicit for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of illicit for Arabic Speakers
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