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illicit

il·lic·it
I i

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [ih-lis-it]
    • /ɪˈlɪs ɪt/
    • /ɪˈlɪs.ɪt/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [ih-lis-it]
    • /ɪˈlɪs ɪt/

Definitions of illicit word

  • adjective illicit not legally permitted or authorized; unlicensed; unlawful. 1
  • adjective illicit disapproved of or not permitted for moral or ethical reasons. 1
  • noun illicit Forbidden by law, rules, or custom. 1
  • abbreviation ILLICIT illegal 1
  • adjective illicit disapproved of 1
  • adjective illicit An illicit activity or substance is not allowed by law or the social customs of a country. 0

Information block about the term

Origin of illicit

First appearance:

before 1645
One of the 44% oldest English words
From the Latin word illicitus, dating back to 1645-55. See il-2, licit

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Illicit

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

illicit popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 95% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

illicit usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for illicit

adj illicit

  • illegitimate — born of parents who are not married to each other; born out of wedlock: an illegitimate child.
  • unauthorized — lacking permission; unsanctioned: unauthorized access.
  • illegal — forbidden by law or statute.
  • bootleg — Bootleg is used to describe something that is made secretly and sold illegally.
  • unlawful — not lawful; contrary to law; illegal.

adjective illicit

  • dishonest — not honest; disposed to lie, cheat, or steal; not worthy of trust or belief: a dishonest person.
  • banned — to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict: to ban nuclear weapons; The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime.
  • forbidden — a past participle of forbid.

adverb illicit

  • off-limits — forbidden to be patronized, frequented, used, etc., by certain persons: The tavern is off-limits to soldiers.
  • off limits — forbidden to be patronized, frequented, used, etc., by certain persons: The tavern is off-limits to soldiers.

Antonyms for illicit

adj illicit

  • authorized — officially permitted or empowered
  • legal — permitted by law; lawful: Such acts are not legal.
  • legitimate — according to law; lawful: the property's legitimate owner.
  • moral — of, relating to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical: moral attitudes.
  • permitted — to allow to do something: Permit me to explain.

adjective illicit

  • authorised — Alternative spelling of authorized.
  • ethical — Of or relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these.

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See also

Matching words

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