illicit
English · Thesaurus
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illicit
- /ɪˈlɪsɪt/
Sounds like elicit · Rhymes with -ɪsɪt, -ɪt
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French illicite, from Latin illicitus, from in- (“not”) + licitus (“allowed, permitted”), from licet (“it is allowed”). By surface analysis, il- + licit.
adjective more illicit · most illicit
-
Not approved by law, but not invalid.
The bigamous marriage, while illicit, was not invalid.
Similar: disallowed, nonlicet, prohibited, banned, forbidden, impermissible, illegal, illicit, interdicted, nonallowed, proscribed, proscript
-
Breaking social norms.
I only can properly enjoy carol services if I am having an illicit affair with someone in the congregation.
Similar: deviant, improper, scandalous
-
Unlawful.
Ayşe Erkoç learned long ago that the secret of doing anything illicit in Istanbul is to do it in full public gaze in the clear light of day. No one ever questions the legitimacy of the blatant.
Similar: criminal, illegal, illegitimate, crimeful, illicit, lawbreaking, nonlawful, outlawed, unlawful, wrongful
noun illicits
- A banned or unlawful item. A large number of studies, however, have reported that it is rare for the user of 'hard' drugs not to have initiated cannabis use prior to the other illicits.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: unlawful, illegitimate, illegal, outlawed, outlaw, adulterous, extramarital, extracurricular, unlawfully, illegally, unlawfulness, ill-gotten, illegality, iuu, lawless, unscrupulous
Translations
Every language
adj lacking licitness
| Español | ilícito |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | अवैध avaidh |
| Português | ilícito |
| Français | illicite |
| Ελληνικά | παράνομος paránomos, έκνομος éknomos |
| Русский | недозволенный nedozvolennyj |
adj breaking social norms
| Português | ilícito |
|---|---|
| Français | illicite |
| Deutsch | unerlaubt, verboten, unzulässig |
| Ελληνικά | αθέμιτος athémitos |
| Русский | неположенный nepoložennyj |
adj unlawful
| Español | ilícito |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 非法的 fēifǎ de, 不合法的 bùhéfǎ de |
| हिन्दी | अवैध avaidh |
| Português | ilícito |
| Français | illicite |
| Deutsch | rechtswidrig |
| Ελληνικά | παράνομος paránomos, έκνομος éknomos |
| Русский | незако́нный nezakónnyj |
Talk about this word "illicit." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/illicit. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. illicit. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/illicit "illicit." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/illicit.Cite this
@misc{illicit_2026,
title = {illicit},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/illicit},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
