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
-
But those in power refuted these links and instead emphasized the disloyalty and illegitimacy of disobeying the will of the majority.—
Time,
Time,
2 July 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Bastardy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastardy. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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