as in illegitimacy
the state or fact of being born out of wedlock
acutely conscious of his bastardy, he always felt the need to prove himself
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Recent Examples of bastardy
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastardy
illegitimacy
Noun
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Nan’s illegitimacy became a big subject of conversation last season when the news leaked out ahead of her engagement to Theo.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
18 June 2025
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He was concerned with how a great power handles multiple internal crises—the faltering of the institutions of domestic order, the craftiness of unmoored and venal politicians, the first tremors of systemic illegitimacy.—
CHARLES KING,
Foreign Affairs,
30 June 2020
Cite this Entry
“Bastardy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastardy. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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