Illicit vs Elicit

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Illicit vs Elicit Difference
Two words in the English dictionary that are often times used interchangeably but have two entirely different meanings are the words illicit and elicit. It is obvious why these two are often used interchangeably.

The way it is written is strikingly alike, and what more they are pronounced. But the two are not actually the opposite of each other. These two words bear entirely different meanings.
The word elicit means to draw something out of something. An example would be this sentence: “I would like to elicit a response from the crowd about my film”. The subject (I) implies that he or she wants to get feedback about his film from the viewers of it. Elicit actually traces its root to Latin beginnings. What is funny is that in its Latin origins, it actually means to get something also, but from trickery or deceit. So there was actually an implied manipulation when this word was used back in the day.

Illicit, on the other hand, means illegal. Unlike elicit, which is actually a verb, illicit is actually an adjective describing a noun. Anything illegal could be described as illicit. You can find this word often times when anything legal is raised. For instance, one can say that downloading pirated movies is illicit, as well as selling drugs or prostitution (depending on where you are). To be clear, illicit is the word people should use when describing anything against the law, not the word elicit.

However, as language evolves, the meaning of the word illicit also evolved. Although it still pertains to something illegal, illicit may also pertain to things that are not against the law but are far from the norms of society. Such activities are what we call “taboo”. For instance, one can say that another person is involved in an illicit sexual relationship. Though not illegal, it is highly frowned upon by society.