illegitimate
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.
a person recognized or looked upon as illegitimate.
to declare illegitimate.
Origin of illegitimate
1synonym study For illegitimate
Other words from illegitimate
- il·le·git·i·mate·ly, adverb
- il·le·git·i·mate·ness, il·le·git·i·ma·tion, noun
Words Nearby illegitimate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use illegitimate in a sentence
Anything they propose — whether it be policy, unity or accountability — is going to be viewed as illegitimate by a decent portion of Americans.
Our Radicalized Republic | Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com) | January 25, 2021 | FiveThirtyEightSome will dismiss my arguments as illegitimate simply because they come from the hated mainstream media.
The lie that lingers: 3 in 10 Americans falsely believe the election was riddled with fraud | Philip Bump | January 19, 2021 | Washington PostBy encouraging their followers to see their political opponents as illegitimate — and letting them follow that logic where it leads — Republicans have been flirting with this kind of anti-democratic behavior for years.
If we were to wake up tomorrow and decree that all NDAs are now defunct, companies would have both legitimate and illegitimate concerns.
NDAs bear blame for some of the worst corporate cover-ups. How that should change | jakemeth | September 18, 2020 | FortuneYanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, says such fears are “not entirely illegitimate” given reports of similar incidents in mainland China.
Hong Kong’s citywide COVID-19 testing has become a barometer of public trust | eamonbarrett | September 9, 2020 | Fortune
She was also an autodidact, an illegitimate girl from the provinces whose intelligence became the stuff of legend.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun | Katie Baker | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYou should be so proud of yourself working for an illegitimate rag like the Daily Beast.
Dear Moon Landing Deniers: Sorry I Called You Moon Landing Deniers | Olivia Nuzzi | July 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn 1483 the princes were publicly declared illegitimate by a cleric.
Three Dicks: Cheney, Nixon, Richard III and the Art of Reputation Rehab | Clive Irving | July 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut a large majority also view the government in Kiev as illegitimate.
Ukraine Foreign Minister Speaks of Mistrust—and a Truce | Jamie Dettmer | April 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBritain is not illegitimate because it has a cross on its flag and an Anglican head of a state.
The Real Problem With the American Studies Association's Boycott of Israel | Peter Beinart | December 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTEstates sufficient to support the highest rank in the peerage were distributed among his illegitimate children.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington MacaulayTo the class of mothers of illegitimate children the Commissioners devoted much attention.
English Poor Law Policy | Sidney WebbWe find it advising that the mothers of illegitimate children should, on this ground alone, not be granted outdoor relief.
English Poor Law Policy | Sidney WebbThe population tends slowly to increase; about 45% of the births are illegitimate, and males are more numerous than females.
Her baby, when born, is exposed as being illegitimate, but found by a goatherd and brought up—becoming the all but deified Atys.
Ancient Faiths And Modern | Thomas Inman
British Dictionary definitions for illegitimate
/ (ˌɪlɪˈdʒɪtɪmɪt) /
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
an illegitimate person; bastard
Derived forms of illegitimate
- illegitimacy or illegitimateness, noun
- illegitimately, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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