illicit

C2+ Topic:Law & Government

US /ɪˈlɪsɪt/ UK /ɪˈlɪsɪt/ See IPA manual

Homophones

elicit /ɪˈlɪsɪt/

Meanings

1

adj
forbidden by law, rules, or custom

He was arrested for the illicit sale of weapons.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · forbidden by law, rules, or... illegal unlawful forbidden prohibited illegitimate unauthorized

Opposites

licit legal lawful permitted

Word family

Derived forms illicitlyillicitness

Related forms licit license

Etymology

From Latin illicitus ('not allowed'), from in- ('not') + licitus ('permitted'), past participle of licere ('to be allowed').

illicitus Latin licere Latin

View etymology graph ->

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# illicit

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪˈlɪsɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪˈlɪsɪt/

## Meanings
1. forbidden by law, rules, or custom

## Examples
- He was arrested for the illicit sale of weapons.

## Synonyms
- illegal
- unlawful
- forbidden
- prohibited
- illegitimate
- unauthorized

## Antonyms
- licit
- legal
- lawful
- permitted

## Derived Forms
- illicitly
- illicitness

## Related Forms
- licit
- license

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: illicitus
- Root: licere

## Etymology
From Latin illicitus ('not allowed'), from in- ('not') + licitus ('permitted'), past participle of licere ('to be allowed').

## AI Etymology
Illicit is from Latin illicitus ('not allowed'), from in- ('not') + licitus ('permitted'), past participle of licere ('to be allowed'). Important recorded forms include illicitus (Latin) and licere (Latin). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers forbidden by law, rules, or custom. The wider family includes derived forms such as illicitly and illicitness and related words such as licit and license.

## Topics
- Law & Government

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illicit

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