1
as in spurious
born to a father and mother who are not married
despite being illegitimate, Alexander Hamilton rose to greatness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
an illegitimate use of campaign contributions for personal expenses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unreasonable
not using or following good reasoning
made several illegitimate inferences
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of illegitimate
Crime abhors a vacuum, and in Tommy’s absence, the Peaky Blinders gang has reformed under the aegis of his sociopathic illegitimate son Duke (Barry Keoghan).
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
Romance between restless second son Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), the illegitimate daughter of an earl who comes to work as a maid for the Bridgerton family, bucked Regency-era societal conventions.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 3 Mar. 2026
As Sophie Baek, the Cinderella-style housemaid of illegitimate birth who charms the latest eligible Bridgerton bachelor, Ha is exquisite.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
After a whole season exploring the pains of being an illegitimate child and fears of pregnancy, Sophie and Benedict are now free to have children that would be welcomed warmly into society.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
Romance between restless second son Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), the illegitimate daughter of an earl who comes to work as a maid for the Bridgerton family, bucked Regency-era societal conventions.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 3 Mar. 2026
As Sophie Baek, the Cinderella-style housemaid of illegitimate birth who charms the latest eligible Bridgerton bachelor, Ha is exquisite.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
After a whole season exploring the pains of being an illegitimate child and fears of pregnancy, Sophie and Benedict are now free to have children that would be welcomed warmly into society.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
-
Using that spurious justification, ICE agents have detained, assaulted, and even — in the case of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti — killed people for recording.—
Andrew Case,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
This is spurious and completely unfounded.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
-
Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.—
Lisa Beebe,
Los Angeles Magazine,
5 July 2017
Adjective
-
Because college football players can’t unionize and bargain rules, anti-tampering and other prohibitions aren’t exempt from antitrust scrutiny and can be challenged as unreasonable restraints on trade and price-fixing schemes.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Attorneys general for 16 Democratic states argue the policy jeopardizes student privacy and forces schools to meet an unreasonable deadline.—
Jaweed Kaleem,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Then there was the misbegotten, no-bid $140 million contract for medical services between the state Department of Corrections and UConn Health.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Into this narrow social wedge was born a boy, child of a passionate but misbegotten moment.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Burglary/Breaking & Entering – The unlawful entry into a building or some other structure to commit a felony or a theft.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Gabriela Vela said she's come to Miami Beach for spring break for the past three years, even back when the city had strict crackdowns on unlawful behavior.—
Steve Maugeri,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
So was Odysseus’s response considered irrational and over-the-top to ancient Greeks?—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Those models lack sound scientific basis and produce irrational results, such as requiring that nuclear plants protect against radiation below naturally occurring levels.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Officials say another North Korean national, Yun Song Guk, oversaw a group of freelance IT workers operating out of Boten, Laos to coordinate illicit payments and contracts for services linked to foreign partners.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The exchange has defended its approach to any illicit transactions on its platform and argued that its compliance program worked as designed.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Bainbridge knew about secrets and unreasoning shame.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Let sound political prescience but take the place of an unreasoning prejudice, and this will be done.—
Frederick Douglass,
The Atlantic,
16 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
