ill-got·ten (?l?g?t?n)adj. Obtained in an evil manner or by dishonest means: ill-gotten gains.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.ill-gotten adj obtained dishonestly or illegally (esp in the phrase ill-gotten gains) Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014ill?-got?ten adj. acquired by dishonest, improper, or evil means. [1545?55] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.