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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of illegitimate
That is a more complicated, less desirable situation for Putin, who sees Zelensky as an illegitimate figure—Putin’s preferred interlocutor has always been in Washington, not Kyiv.
—
Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Russia then annexed the eastern Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in 2022, months after launching its full-scale invasion of its neighbor and orchestrating elections widely condemned internationally as illegitimate.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
That’s an unfortunate and illegitimate form of anthropomorphizing AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Unlike in the United States, however, there has been a broad consensus in Brazil that the attacks were illegitimate and unacceptable.
—Anthony Pereira, The Conversation, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Russia then annexed the eastern Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in 2022, months after launching its full-scale invasion of its neighbor and orchestrating elections widely condemned internationally as illegitimate.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
That’s an unfortunate and illegitimate form of anthropomorphizing AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Unlike in the United States, however, there has been a broad consensus in Brazil that the attacks were illegitimate and unacceptable.
—Anthony Pereira, The Conversation, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
-
The most negative and spurious viral videos are the ones that are leading to the most views for advertisers.—
John Brandon,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
-
While all these claims were eventually discredited, Setlow said many other spurious findings have been published in respected scientific journals.—
F.D. Flam,
Twin Cities,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
-
Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.—
Lisa Beebe,
Los Angeles Magazine,
5 July 2017
Adjective
-
We're protected from unreasonable searches and seizures.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
This is a crude and unreasonable attempt to make the discussion into an all-or-nothing affair.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Because the Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger are essentially identical, save for their engines and some unibody sheet metal beneath the exterior body panels, there exist many misbegotten conversions as well as some quite deceptive clones.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Scenes stretch on too long, Lynette’s misbegotten plans play out in predictable fashion, and even a handful of genuinely thrilling action sequences (like Lynette’s escape from that grimy garage, told through an eye-popping oner) can’t quite keep things ticking along.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Green, of Jackson Township, has been charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon in connection with Reid's death, according to Billhimer.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, has ruled that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, and that Israel’s occupation and apartheid against Palestinians are unlawful.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Maura’s performance makes Maria Angeles so magnetic and eccentric — earthily practical on some matters, dizzily irrational on others, and sympathetically true to herself on all fronts — that all the film’s other players want for detail and texture by comparison.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The roll call of people across the decades who have had access to nuclear weapons includes many who are considerably less rational than the irrational rest of us.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For Missouri, 2022 was such a deadly year — 43 children under the age of 18 died from the illicit drug — that former DSS director Robert Knodell created the Fentanyl Case Review Subcommittee, which was a panel of experts who studied those cases.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Despite being legal, the illicit market is thriving, with only 38% of the cannabis consumed in California coming from licensed growers, according to a 2024 report released by the state Department of Cannabis Control.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Let sound political prescience but take the place of an unreasoning prejudice, and this will be done.—
Frederick Douglass,
The Atlantic,
16 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share