illicitly

illicitly — 副詞

1. in a way that breaks written laws or goes against what the majority of people in

1.副詞B2
釋義

非法地

以違法或違反社會規範的方式

in a way that breaks written laws or goes against what the majority of people in a society consider to be right or proper behaviour

例句

Umi was arrested for selling cigarettes illicitly from the back of her shop.

Umi 因為在她店鋪後方非法販售香菸而被捕。

collocation: selling + noun + illicitly for illegal trade

The company had been transferring funds illicitly to offshore accounts for several years.

該公司多年來一直非法將資金轉移至海外帳戶。

formal register: transferring funds illicitly in financial contexts

同義詞
  • illegally

    more specific to written law; less common to describe social/moral disapproval

  • unlawfully

    more formal and strictly legal; rarely used for social disapproval

  • clandestinely

    emphasises secrecy over illegality; can describe things hidden but not necessarily wrong

反義詞
  • legally

    strict opposite for the 'against the law' aspect of meaning

  • openly

    opposite for the 'done in secret' aspect; suggests no need to hide

用法筆記

Frequently used in news reports and legal contexts. Unlike 'illegally', this word can describe actions that break social rules rather than written laws — for example, meeting someone when it is socially taboo to do so.

常見錯誤

❌He was arrested for parking illicitly.
✅He was arrested for parking illegally.
💡'illicitly' is too strong for minor traffic violations; use 'illegally' for breaking a specific written regulation.
❌The magician illicitly pulled a rabbit from his hat.
✅The magician secretly pulled a rabbit from his hat.
💡'secretly' describes hidden actions that are not necessarily wrong; 'illicitly' always carries moral or legal disapproval.

illicitly — 形容詞