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
The nuns then took it upon themselves to make arrangements for the illegitimate child.
—
Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
The credit bureaus have said that many recent complaints are illegitimate, including a large volume filed by third-party credit repair organizations that charge customers to challenge negative information on their reports.
—Joel Jacobs, ProPublica, 4 May 2026
All of that is deeply illegitimate.
—NBC news, 3 May 2026
Motta had been completely unaware that the accidents Garrison and Alfortish had brought her were illegitimate, Toomey insisted.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
The credit bureaus have said that many recent complaints are illegitimate, including a large volume filed by third-party credit repair organizations that charge customers to challenge negative information on their reports.
—Joel Jacobs, ProPublica, 4 May 2026
All of that is deeply illegitimate.
—NBC news, 3 May 2026
Motta had been completely unaware that the accidents Garrison and Alfortish had brought her were illegitimate, Toomey insisted.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
-
Though the top judge later clarified that his remarks related only to individuals with spurious degrees and not India’s youth in general, the remarks kicked up a social media storm—which fueled thousands of sign-ups on CJP’s website, taking even Dipke by surprise.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 May 2026
-
But further examples of spurious medical grounds being raised led to him not racing that year at the RAC Tourist Trophy in Dundrod, Northern Ireland, and the 1956 Italian Grand Prix.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
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
-
Last year’s conference-final loss to the Florida Panthers — an ugly result for an overmatched roster that had spent the regular season outkicking its coverage, maximizing its performance and raising expectations to an unreasonable level — is on that ledger, too.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
That lingering inventory, which has drawn criticism from fans who believe the list prices are unreasonable, is a principal feature of the governing body’s ticket pricing strategy.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Perfection is inhuman, and pretensions to it are both doomed and misbegotten.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
-
The cars change — Oldsmobile Alero, Volvo S60, a misbegotten Mitsubishi convertible, a parade of Nissan Rogues that refuse to sync with Apple CarPlay — but the American road remains the same.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
Multiple lawsuits from advocacy groups, Capitol police officers and others call the program unlawful and corrupt, as Congress presses acting Atty.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
Kelly's mother, Barbara Renner, is charged with manslaughter, and her daughter, Elyssa Seymore, is charged with unlawful imprisonment.—
Mahsa Saeidi,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Carpenter says the disturbing encounters left her fearful for her safety and that of relatives living with her, as police label the suspect’s fixation irrational and increasingly dangerous.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
Great startups often look irrational at first.—
Anna Demeo,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
The goal of all this havoc is not to destroy democracy, according to Vergara—though that might be a welcome side effect, to some—but to torpedo the rule of law and thereby protect illicit financial gains.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
-
Barred from filming inside, the documentarians turned to activist inmates who documented incidents on illicit cellphones in an attempt to bring attention to the inhumane conditions.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Bainbridge knew about secrets and unreasoning shame.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
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 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
