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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An air of illegitimacy, particularly in the face of febrile nationalism, will undermine the new rulers.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
4 Jan. 2026
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But the high-water mark of Mr. Trump’s mendacity was his ponderous assertion that Maduro’s removal was necessary because his election was plagued by voter fraud and illegitimacy.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bastardy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastardy. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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