Ill-Gotten

Pronunciation: /ˌɪlˈɡɒtən/

Definitions of ill-gotten

adjective obtained through dishonest or illegal means

Example Sentences

A1 He found an ill-gotten wallet on the street and returned it to the police station.

A2 The villagers were suspicious of the new neighbor's ill-gotten wealth.

B1 The detective uncovered the criminal's ill-gotten gains hidden in a secret compartment.

B2 The corrupt politician was finally exposed for his ill-gotten assets.

C1 The CEO was arrested for his involvement in the company's ill-gotten profits.

C2 The museum curator was fired for acquiring ill-gotten artifacts through illegal means.

Examples of ill-gotten in a Sentence

formal The businessman was arrested for his involvement in acquiring ill-gotten gains through fraudulent means.

informal He got caught with all that ill-gotten cash he was flashing around.

slang She's living large off that ill-gotten money she scammed from people.

figurative The politician's ill-gotten power was slowly slipping away as the corruption scandal unfolded.

Grammatical Forms of ill-gotten

• past tense: ill-gotten
• plural: ill-gottens
• comparative: more ill-gotten
• superlative: most ill-gotten
• present tense: ill-get
• future tense: will ill-get
• perfect tense: have ill-gotten
• continuous tense: is ill-getting
• singular: ill-gotten
• positive degree: ill-gotten
• infinitive: to ill-get
• gerund: ill-getting
• participle: ill-gotten

Origin and Evolution of ill-gotten

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Middle English

Story behind the word: The word 'ill-gotten' originates from Middle English, where 'ill' meant evil or bad, and 'gotten' meant acquired or obtained.

Evolution of the word: Over time, 'ill-gotten' has retained its original meaning of something acquired through dishonest or immoral means, with no significant changes in its usage or interpretation.