illegitimate
Americanadjective
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born of parents who are not married to each other; born out of wedlock.
an illegitimate child.
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not legitimate; not sanctioned by law or custom.
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unlawful; illegal.
an illegitimate action.
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irregular; not in good usage.
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Logic. not in accordance with the principles of valid inference.
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Obsolete. (formerly, in London)
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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.
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acting in or producing such productions.
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noun
verb (used with object)
adjective
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born of parents who were not married to each other at the time of birth; bastard
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forbidden by law; illegal; unlawful
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contrary to logic; incorrectly reasoned
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Related Words
See illegal.
Other Word Forms
- illegitimacy noun
- illegitimately adverb
- illegitimateness noun
- illegitimation noun
Etymology
Origin of illegitimate
First recorded in 1530–40; il- 2 + legitimate
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.
The customer who banked the illegitimate furlough payments received £27.3m over 13 months.
From BBC
Other drama in the run-up to the final round included two judges quitting this week, with one alleging the contest was rigged by a "secret and illegitimate vote" held without the official jury.
From Barron's
The philosopher’s task is therefore not to solve philosophical problems but to dissolve them, showing why the questions they pose are illegitimate.
Louis likens himself to Pierre, the main protagonist in War & Peace, who represents the "everyman" as the illegitimate son of a rich aristocrat who inherits a huge fortune, catapulting him into Russian high society.
From BBC
In court documents, his lawyers called the claims "illegitimate."
From BBC
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.
