bastardy
noun
bas·tardy
ˈba-stər-dē 
plural bastardies
1
: the quality or state of being born to parents who are not married to each other
2
: the fathering of a child with someone one is not married to
Examples of bastardy in a Sentence
acutely conscious of his bastardy, he always felt the need to prove himself
Recent Examples on the Web
Baseness, bastardy, base They are also reflected in the game’s popularity, especially among those with the most detached view of America: the millions of immigrants who have arrived over baseball’s history.
—
The Economist, 8 June 2019
Johanna Luthman, a historian at the University of North Georgia, has worked for years to understand the practice and repercussions of fornication, adultery and bastardy among the early 17th-century English aristocracy.
—Richard Davenport-Hines, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2017
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The Economist, 8 June 2019
Johanna Luthman, a historian at the University of North Georgia, has worked for years to understand the practice and repercussions of fornication, adultery and bastardy among the early 17th-century English aristocracy.
—Richard Davenport-Hines, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Bastardy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bastardy. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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