illegitimate

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adjective il·le·git·i·mate \ ˌi-li-ˈji-tə-mət \

Definition of illegitimate

1 :not recognized as lawful offspring; specifically :born of parents not married to each other

2 :not rightly deduced or inferred :illogical

3 :departing from the regular :erratic

4 a :not sanctioned by law :illegal

b :not authorized by good usage

c of a taxon :published but not in accordance with the rules of the relevant international code

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illegitimately

adverb

See illegitimate defined for English-language learners

See illegitimate defined for kids

Examples of illegitimate in a Sentence

She thinks that my concerns are illegitimate.
They were fired from their jobs for illegitimate reasons.

Recent Examples of illegitimate from the Web

Last season the show revealed that Jon is not Ned Stark’s illegitimate son, rather the son of Ned’s sister Lyanna.

— jennifer calfas, PEOPLE.com, "What George R.R. Martin Told a Game of Thrones Director About Jon Snow & Daenerys Way Back in Season 1," 24 Aug. 2017
As officials sought to reduce illegitimate prescriptions, the street price of the painkillers soared, sending many users to relatively cheaper heroin, mostly imported from Mexico.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Thousands of urban overdose deaths linked to shocking increase of fentanyl in drug supply," 16 Aug. 2017
Company that runs #Venezuela’s electronic voting system says results of Maduro’s illegitimate referendum were faked: abcnews.go.com/International/…

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Trump transcripts the latest in leaks," 3 Aug. 2017
Maduro and his supporters say Sunday’s referendum is illegitimate.

— jim wyss, miamiherald, "Venezuelan weekend vote seen as last chance to stop power grab," 13 July 2017
Previously, some rights holders expressed concerns that the sharing of track uploaded by users may lead to illegitimate distribution of music, making Yandex.

— vladimir kozlov, Billboard, "'Russian Google' Restricts Music Service Content Amidst Piracy Concerns," 11 July 2017
According to the Miami Herald, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch ruled that the lawmakers who modified the law this year forcing prosecutors to disprove a defendant’s self-defense claim at a pre-trial hearing was illegitimate.

— angela helm, The Root, "Miami Judge Rules New ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law Unconstitutional," 4 July 2017
Snow, an illegitimate child never embraced by his father’s wife, is a James Dean daydream of Sir Walter Scott.

— TIME.com, "Game of Thrones: How They Make the World’s Most Popular Show," 30 June 2017
Erdogan was clearly drawing the line between God-fearing good Turks and those who preferred the illegitimate legacy of two alcoholics.

— steven a. cook, The Atlantic, "Turkey's Identity Crisis," 25 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'illegitimate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of illegitimate

1536

illegitimate Synonyms

Synonyms

baseborn, bastard, misbegotten, natural, spurious, supposititious, unfathered

Antonyms

legitimate

Related Words

fatherless, motherless; nameless; adopted, orphaned

Near Antonyms

ethical, good, just, principled, right, righteous, virtuous; allowed, permitted; authorized, licensed; approved, endorsed (also indorsed), sanctioned; abetted, encouraged, promoted, suggested, supported; correct, decent, decorous, proper, seemly

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

ILLEGITIMATE Defined for English Language Learners

illegitimate

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adjective

Definition of illegitimate for English Language Learners

: born to a father and mother who are not married
: not allowed according to rules or laws
: not reasonable or fair

ILLEGITIMATE Defined for Kids

illegitimate

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adjective il·le·git·i·mate \ ˌi-li-ˈji-tə-mət \

Definition of illegitimate for Students

:not accepted by the law as rightful

an illegitimate ruler

Law Dictionary

illegitimate

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adjective il·le·git·i·mate \ ˌi-li-ˈji-tə-mət \

legal Definition of illegitimate

1 :not recognized by the law as offspring; specifically :born out of marriage

Note: An illegitimate child is usually legitimated by his or her parents' later marriage. Illegitimate children generally have the same inheritance rights under intestate successions as legitimate children; statutes limiting their inheritance rights have been found to violate the equal protection clause.

2 :not valid according to law

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