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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.
Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
However, during intake, BOP staff confiscate and discard all medications, citing efforts to prevent the introduction of illicit drugs.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
The lawsuit, filed in Denver District Court on Monday by cultivator and manufacturer Mammoth Farms, accuses the division of ignoring companies that are diverting legal weed to illicit markets in other states, and punishing whistleblowers who try to raise concerns.
—Tiney Ricciardi, The Denver Post, 13 Mar. 2025
According to the government, Avenatti had threatened to publicize allegations about the shoe company making illicit payments to top college basketball recruits.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illicit
Cite this Entry
“Illicit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illicit. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
illicit
adjective
In re Haas, 48 F.3d 1153 (1995)
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