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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use illegitimate in a sentence
Whether any illegitimates who have not a dispensation hold ecclesiastical benefices, or are in sacred orders.
Parish Priests and Their People in the Middle Ages in England | Edward L. CuttsThis extraordinarily mixed family of legitimates and illegitimates seems to have maintained a certain kind of harmony.
The True Benjamin Franklin | Sydney George FisherThe Princes of the blood took a very high tone, and the illegitimates were much embarrassed.
The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, Complete | Duc de Saint-Simon
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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