illegitimate
Americanadjective
-
born of parents who are not married to each other; born out of wedlock.
an illegitimate child.
-
not legitimate; not sanctioned by law or custom.
-
unlawful; illegal.
an illegitimate action.
-
irregular; not in good usage.
-
Logic. not in accordance with the principles of valid inference.
-
Obsolete. (formerly, in London)
-
of or relating to stage plays in which musical numbers were inserted because of laws that gave only a few theaters the exclusive right to produce straight dramas.
-
acting in or producing such productions.
-
noun
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
born of parents who were not married to each other at the time of birth; bastard
-
forbidden by law; illegal; unlawful
-
contrary to logic; incorrectly reasoned
noun
Related Words
See illegal.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of illegitimate
First recorded in 1530–40; il- 2 + legitimate
Explanation
Something illegitimate is unlawful, or improper. If you're a doctor, even a great doctor, but you were never certified by the medical board, then you're an illegitimate doctor. Illegitimate has the root for "law" in it, and something illegitimate is outside the law or custom. A child not born to married parents is known as an illegitimate child, although so many people are making different choices about how to raise families, that the stigma is dropping away, especially if the child isn't the result of philandering (cheating). In King Lear, Edmund is mad that he's an illegitimate son, because it means he can't inherit the throne.
Vocabulary lists containing illegitimate
Black Like Me
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
leg, legis
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
leg, legis (law)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Illegitimate or not, Visible activated the accounts and ported the numbers in the first place.
From The Verge • Feb. 23, 2022
He read Bruce E. Levine’s “Resisting Illegitimate Authority,” as well as Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s “Guantánamo Diary,” the chilling account of Slahi’s imprisonment at Guantánamo Bay under the supervision of military, C.I.A. and F.B.I. interrogators.
From New York Times • Sep. 1, 2021
To illustrate this diversity, I profile twenty famous U.S. anti-authoritarians in Resisting Illegitimate Authority.
From Salon • Mar. 17, 2019
Q. Illegitimate Half Brother's Inheritance: Five years ago, my sister and I discovered the existence of our father's biological son from a secret second family.
From Slate • Nov. 19, 2012
Illegitimate births are, however, more numerous in the cities than in the country.
From The Task of Social Hygiene by Ellis, Havelock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
