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View synonyms for

illegitimate

[il-i-jit-uh-mit, il-i-jit-uh-meyt]

adjective

  1. born of parents who are not married to each other; born out of wedlock.

    an illegitimate child.

  2. not legitimate; not sanctioned by law or custom.

  3. unlawful; illegal.

    an illegitimate action.

  4. irregular; not in good usage.

  5. Logic.not in accordance with the principles of valid inference.

  6. Obsolete.(formerly, in London)

    1. 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.

    2. acting in or producing such productions.



noun

  1. a person recognized or looked upon as illegitimate.

verb (used with object)

illegitimated, illegitimating 
  1. to declare illegitimate.

illegitimate

/ ˌɪɪˈɪɪɪ /

adjective

  1. born of parents who were not married to each other at the time of birth; bastard

  2. forbidden by law; illegal; unlawful

  3. contrary to logic; incorrectly reasoned

“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

noun

  1. an illegitimate person; bastard

“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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Other Word Forms

  • illegitimately adverb
  • illegitimateness noun
  • illegitimation noun
  • ˌˈپٱ adverb
  • ˌˈپ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of illegitimate1

First recorded in 1530–40; il- 2 + legitimate
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Synonym Study

See illegal.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Last Sunday, Trump went even further when he shared a conspiracy theory that President Biden was a clone, i.e., not a real person, a type of Manchurian candidate, and thus an illegitimate president and usurper.

From

"For defending people's individual guarantees? For mounting an adequate technical defence for a human being? Why should that make me illegitimate?" she asks.

From

The U.N. and the European Union would condemn the seizure as illegitimate and demand negotiations; stern essays would be written casting America as a pariah state no better than Russia.

From

"The imposition of minimum services constitutes an illegitimate, disproportionate, and legally unsustainable restriction on the fundamental right to strike," the union said in a press release.

From

She presented herself as a wealthy, illegitimate daughter of the sultan of Brunei, initially showering Mr Hornigold, his then-partner Heather Kaniuk and his friends with lavish gifts, from cars to homes.

From

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illegitimacyillegitimize