illicit
adjective
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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.
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.
Melina Khan, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
But Ridley said the bill’s penalties for illicit drug possession or use still would create problems for many providers.
—Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 13 Feb. 2026
Of the 605 sites where a multiagency state and federal task force ripped out illicit cannabis plants, roughly 9% were on public lands — up from an average of 3% to 4%.
—Rachel Becker, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Many users’ behavioral changes have followed shifts in the illicit opioid supply, which in the last decade has seen heroin largely disappear and fentanyl increasingly dominate.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illicit
Cite this Entry
“Illicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illicit. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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Legal Definition
illicit
adjective
In re Haas, 48 F.3d 1153 (1995)
