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
However, in past few years, the European Union has focused its attention on regulating activities in freeports, especially after increasing instances of use of these freeports, including those in Switzerland and Geneva, for illegitimate activities.
—
Priya Prakash Royal Esq. Ll.m. Mba Aep Tep, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
The Chinese refused to participate in the proceedings and maintain the decision is illegitimate.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
Trump’s comments came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against U.N. official Francesca Albanese, accusing her of pushing illegitimate efforts at the International Criminal Court targeting U.S. and Israeli leaders.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 9 July 2025
And then, on top of it, I was born out of some affair like some illegitimate, sinful mistake?
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Priya Prakash Royal Esq. Ll.m. Mba Aep Tep, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
The Chinese refused to participate in the proceedings and maintain the decision is illegitimate.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
Trump’s comments came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against U.N. official Francesca Albanese, accusing her of pushing illegitimate efforts at the International Criminal Court targeting U.S. and Israeli leaders.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 9 July 2025
And then, on top of it, I was born out of some affair like some illegitimate, sinful mistake?
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
-
Seismologists chalked up these spurious readings to instrument errors.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
4 Aug. 2025
-
Law enforcement officers would arrest young men, usually Black but also white, on spurious charges and lease them to private companies for profit.—
Time,
Time,
17 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
Adjective
-
The policy and specialist support environment is going to need to become more sophisticated, and more responsive to balancing needs and addressing conflict, unfairness and unreasonable requests / restrictions.—
Nancy Doyle,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Timothy Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina who studies organisms and ecosystems in radioactive regions, told the Times that the DOE's explanation that the wasps gathered legacy contamination for their homes is not unreasonable.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
President Trump was right to withdraw from the Obama administration’s misbegotten project in 2018—even though the EU signatories remain pledged to the zombie agreement to this day.—
John R. Bolton,
The Atlantic,
9 July 2025
-
The misbegotten union gave birth to the titan towers of Upper Downtown.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
Drake Solomon accuses his former employer of disability discrimination and an unlawful severance offer.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Instead, advocates say those who are not in shelter are being pushed farther and farther away from services in an attempt to escape unlawful camping citations.—
Keely Doll,
The Courier-Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Nothing adds depth to an irascible curmudgeon quite like an irrational love of pets that do not love you back.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Our worries are often dismissed as irrational—planes are much safer than cars, etc.—
Elaine Godfrey,
The Atlantic,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Rather than being stripped of their parts, this term refers to vehicles that are driven off intact by thieves, either for joy-riding or title washing and illicit resale either here or abroad.—
Jim Gorzelany,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Grab a seat at Square Grouper, where illicit Florida Keys history blends with the freshest seafood and stellar sunset views.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The Amazon founder was previously married to Mackenzie Scott from 1993 to 2019, and the couple share three sons and an adopted daughter.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
-
His adopted daughter, Sandra Correia Lopes, 12, weighs just 12 kilograms, or 26 pounds, and falls sick frequently.—
Sui-Lee Wee,
New York Times,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share