illicit

CEFRC1

/ɪˈlɪsɪt/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Forbidden by law or rules.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Breaking social norms.

Examples

  • Fadil and Layla had an illicit affair.

  • He uses bitcoins to purchase illicit drugs.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
2
Citations
4
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Not approved by law, but not invalid.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A banned or unlawful item.

More examples

In context

  • Sami and Layla continued their illicit love relationship.

  • The bigamous marriage, while illicit, was not invalid.

  • I only can properly enjoy carol services if I am having an illicit affair with someone in the congregation.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The police caught them selling blank drugs on the street corner in broad daylight.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

Borrowed from French illicite, from Latin illicitus, from in- (“not”) + licitus (“allowed, permitted”), from licet (“it is allowed”). By surface analysis, il- + licit.