il ‧ li ‧ cit /ɪˈlɪsət, ɪˈlɪsɪt/ BrE AmE adjective
not allowed by laws or rules, or strongly disapproved of by society ⇨ illegal :
illicit drugs
the illicit trade in stolen cattle
—illicitly adverb
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THESAURUS
▪ illegal forbidden by law:
It is illegal to sell tobacco to children under 16.
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illegal immigrants
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He was carrying an illegal weapon.
▪ be against the law to be illegal. This phrase is very commonly used in everyday English, instead of saying that something is illegal :
Driving a car without insurance is against the law.
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It’s against the law to hit a child.
▪ unlawful illegal - a rather formal word, which is used especially when this particular action is considered to be illegal, although there are some situations where such actions can be legal:
The judges said that the strike was unlawful.
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The money was obtained by unlawful means.
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a verdict of unlawful killing
▪ illicit illicit activities or goods are illegal and usually kept secret:
Marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States.
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the illicit trade in stolen cattle
▪ illegitimate not allowed or acceptable according to rules or agreements:
the illegitimate use of power
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The election results were declared to be illegitimate.
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illegitimate share trading
▪ unconstitutional not allowed by a country’s ↑ constitution (=set of rules and principles by which a country is governed) :
The court ruled that the new law was unconstitutional.