Kevin
October 10, 2021
Common Questions
Have you ever been confused by the definition of illicit? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word illicit, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
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According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word illicit is an adjective which means not allowed or approved, outside social norms, or illegal in contemporary English. Illicit is three syllables – il-li-cit, and the pronunciation of illicit is ɪˈlɪsɪt. Many things can be illicit, including an illicit affair, the use of illicit drugs, illicit drug use, illicit love, and illicit career, illicit intimacy, illicit SEO tactics, illicit financing, illicit funds, an illicit association that takes unlawful measures, a lack of secual morality, an illegitimate seizure of power, lacking sexual morality, an invalid outlaw strike, illicit goods brought from Mexico, an illicit relationship between young people, illicit sexual relations, illicit trips, adultery, an illicit engagement and more.
Many different languages also contain words that mean illicit. You may notice that some of these translations of illicit look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases in different languages that likely have the same root or language of origin, causing them to sound the same. The below list of translations of illicit is provided by Word Sense.
According to Etymonline, the word illicit has been used since c16 and comes from the Old French illicite and Latin illicitus. This comes from the Latin in and Latin licitus, which is the past participle of licere.
The word illicit can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize its definition and add it to your vocabulary, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are a couple of examples of the word illicit that can help get you started incorporating this word into your vocabulary.
The man made an illicit trade with the maid. It was not illegal but it was bad for ethical reasons.
The workers at Harpercollins Publishers and William Collins Sons made illicit copyright suits.
The man made an illicit reveal to the press to obtain the fortune of his grandfather. He revealed his drinking problem that led to the death of his widow.
There are many different words that one can use in place of the word illicit (adj.). These are considered synonyms, which are words that have the same definition as another word or phrase. Synonyms are useful to know if you are trying to avoid repeating yourself or if you are looking to expand your vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the word illicit is provided by Power Thesaurus.
There are also many different words that have the opposite meaning as the word illicit. These are considered antonyms. Antonyms are also very useful to know if you want to expand your vocabulary and knowledge of the English language. This list of antonyms for the word illicit is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
Overall, the word illicit means illegal or outside the realm of social norms. This word is Latin in origin. Try using this word in a sentence today to learn its definition!
