Illegal vs. Illicit
Difference Between Illegal and Illicit
Illegaladjective
Contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law.
This is illegal, you know!Nearly 40 million people live in UK areas with illegal air pollutiontheir illegal mining operations in Asia, Africa and elsewhere, are protected by officials and police paid to look the other way – and powerful customers in the construction industry who prefer not to ask too many questions.Illicitadjective
(legal) Not approved by law, but not invalid.
The bigamous marriage, while illicit, was not invalid.Illegaladjective
Forbidden by established rules.
Moving a pawn backward is an illegal move in chess.Illicitadjective
Breaking social norms.
Illegaladjective
Totally fictitious, and often issued on behalf of a non-existent territory or country.
Illicitadjective
Unlawful.
Illegaladjective
Being or doing something illegally.
illegal immigrant;illegal logger;illegal pilotIllicitnoun
A banned or unlawful item.
Illegaladjective
Being an illegal immigrant; residing in a country illegally.
Illicitadjective
contrary to accepted morality (especially sexual morality) or convention;
an illicit association with his secretaryIllegalnoun
(obsolete) An illegal act or technique.
Illicitadjective
contrary to or forbidden by law;
an illegitimate seizure of powerillicit tradean outlaw strikeunlawful measuresIllegalnoun
Contraband, esp. illegal substances such as drugs.
Illegalnoun
An illegal immigrant.
Illegalnoun
(espionage) A spy working abroad illegally and undercover, without visible ties to his or her country’s authorities.
Illegaladjective
prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules;
an illegal chess move
