1
as in spurious
born to a father and mother who are not married
despite being illegitimate, Alexander Hamilton rose to greatness
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illegitimate
Also endangering the family name and business is a crooked deal made by Byron Hedges (Jack Gleeson), an illegitimate cousin helping Guinness expand into America, that promises 15% of all American profits to the Fenian Brotherhood.
—
Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
The play’s serious depiction of class politics and illegitimate birth were considered shocking by contemporary audiences.
—Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
After the death of Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), the Major’s illegitimate son, Ray and Pete are the only Long Walkers left.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
In fact, military strikes provide an otherwise illegitimate head of state like Maduro with the opportunity to rally the Venezuelan population against a foreign interloper.
—Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
The play’s serious depiction of class politics and illegitimate birth were considered shocking by contemporary audiences.
—Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
After the death of Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), the Major’s illegitimate son, Ray and Pete are the only Long Walkers left.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
In fact, military strikes provide an otherwise illegitimate head of state like Maduro with the opportunity to rally the Venezuelan population against a foreign interloper.
—Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
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Tech billionaire Elon Musk came under fire this year for a gesture that drew comparisons to a Nazi salute at President Donald Trump’s second-term inauguration and promoting spurious claims of white genocide in South Africa on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter).—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
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Xi Jinping was only nine years old in 1962, when his father, a senior member of Mao’s government, was purged on spurious charges, including approving the publication of a novel about his mentor.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
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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
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Civil Code Section 4740 grandfathers rental prohibitions, while Section 4741 bans rental prohibitions and unreasonable restrictions.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
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But this is perhaps an artificial high tempo, dictated by an unreasonable number of substitutes.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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His performance as the deadly Irish villain Bullseye was one of the few high points for this misbegotten Ben Affleck superhero vehicle, a modest hit at the time that nobody — not even Affleck — likes now.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
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Dennings, 39, tells us about her own misbegotten Halloween attire and more.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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On Friday, two federal judges ruled that this pause is likely unlawful.—
Jennifer Ludden,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
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He is being charged in juvenile court with evidence tampering and unlawful gun possession by a minor.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Satire is brilliant for exposing the folly of humans, especially those in power and those working in bad faith—the hypocrites and the frauds—and can be particularly potent when set in irrational or dystopic times.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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But why are these fears irrational?—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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There have been several serious incidents involving the illicit trade in nuclear materials in Georgia over recent decades.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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Both developments could hand fresh ammunition to the Democrats who Republicans need to advance the bill — Democrats who had already raised concerns in closed-door meetings Wednesday over illicit finance and conflicts of interest.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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 8 Nov. 2025.
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