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
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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
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Recent Examples of illegitimate
Trump proposed to distribute the money from a settlement of his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service to people deemed the victims of illegitimate Justice Department investigations.
—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Trump has called those prosecutions illegitimate and politically motivated, while his critics have noted that they were brought after long investigations by career prosecutors and independent counsel.
—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
The nuns then took it upon themselves to make arrangements for the illegitimate child.
—
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
The credit bureaus have said that many recent complaints are illegitimate, including a large volume filed by third-party credit repair organizations that charge customers to challenge negative information on their reports.
—
Joel Jacobs,
ProPublica,
4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Trump has called those prosecutions illegitimate and politically motivated, while his critics have noted that they were brought after long investigations by career prosecutors and independent counsel.
—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
The nuns then took it upon themselves to make arrangements for the illegitimate child.
—
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
The credit bureaus have said that many recent complaints are illegitimate, including a large volume filed by third-party credit repair organizations that charge customers to challenge negative information on their reports.
—
Joel Jacobs,
ProPublica,
4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
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They may be based on a hunch, on data, on many hours of in-depth viewing and scouting, on some spurious AI nonsense, on something a guy in the pub told us.
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Now that same leader can be felled by an Instagram pile-on or a spurious Substack rumor, and is likelier to shy from the long, slow, gritty work of governance.
Adjective
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Jazzlyn Johnson, a spokesperson for Johnson, said in an email that Sanchez-Munoz had been charged with one count of second-degree felony murder, five counts of unlawful use of a weapon and five counts of armed criminal action.
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The policies Goode violated include unlawful harassment discrimination policy, professional conduct, code of conduct and mobile data access.
Adjective
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If these requirements are not met, the search is unreasonable and therefore unlawful, and evidence obtained in that search cannot be used in court, barring a good-faith exception.
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Justices ruled that sweeping use of cellphone data requires a warrant, a decision applying the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, to new technology.
Adjective
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At next week’s meeting, Kevin Warsh must vigorously attack this misbegotten idea, the Phillips Curve.
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Perfection is inhuman, and pretensions to it are both doomed and misbegotten.
Adjective
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As a result, the bill would leave parts of the crypto ecosystem vulnerable to exploitation by terrorists, sanctions evaders, fraudsters, and other illicit actors under the guise of technological neutrality.
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Though the film ends with Lori and John getting married (despite Ted's various illicit shenanigans), Ted 2 reveals that the pair have divorced.
Adjective
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The reflex, from a distance, is to call this irrational.
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If people believe regulatory caution invalidates every legal claim, courts may look irrational.
Adjective
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The adopted operating budget for 2026 was $883 million, a number that could inch closer to $1 billion in 2027.
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For now, the fish are functioning fine in their adopted creek.
Adjective
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Guo was convicted of nine of 12 criminal charges during a seven-week trial that prosecutors said showcased his deception of thousands of investors in bogus deals that enabled Guo’s lavish lifestyle.
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In May 2025, a Placer County criminal grand jury indicted both men.
Cite this Entry
“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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