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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The power of the Grand Secretariat and the illegitimacy of dissent were hallmarks of imperial rule.—
Frank Lavin,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
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From this perspective, the familiar elements of the Nativity—the stable, the shepherds, the Magi—were not meant to paper over the embarrassment at Jesus’ illegitimacy.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bastardy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastardy. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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