illegitimate

adjective

ˌi-li-ˈji-tə-mət How to pronounce illegitimate (audio)
Definition of illegitimatenext
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 Federal judges have quashed many of the subpoenas as illegitimate efforts to intimidate providers into ending care. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 But that’s forcing them to wrestle with the idea that any action taken by a party is illegitimate, anti-democratic rigging — something the other team can use to depress the base. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 July 2026 Signature-matching efforts sometimes disqualify more legitimate than illegitimate ballots. — Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 15 July 2026 If the Hand of God effectively flipped the bird to the English side—then as now, Diego Maradona’s first goal was farcically illegitimate—the Argentine captain’s subsequent score was something out of the divine intervention catalogue. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
  1. spurious
  2. unlawful
  3. unreasonable
  4. misbegotten
  5. illicit
  6. irrational
  7. adopted
  8. criminal
Adjective
  • These spurious claims about childhood vaccines will only increase vaccine hesitation with harmful results.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Researchers found that models can score well on standard benchmarks while relying on spurious correlations in their training data.
    — Lucas Zhao, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of spurious
Adjective
  • He is charged with official misconduct in the first degree, which is punishable by up to 12 months behind bars, if convicted, and unlawful access to a computer in the fourth degree, which carries a maximum sentence of 90 days.
    — Josh Wood, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Investigators accused him of obstruction of justice, unlawful contracting and, among other things, claiming $127,630 in expenses linked to fictitious missions and plane tickets for nearly a dozen trips.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of unlawful
Adjective
  • Your expectations of your stepsons aren’t unreasonable at all.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • If the prosecution’s version of the evidence is reasonable and the defense’s is unreasonable, then that is not reasonable doubt.
    — Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of unreasonable
Adjective
  • Presented by Hollywood Entertainment, the evening could be ground zero for the next stage of the misbegotten movie’s revival.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • At next week’s meeting, Kevin Warsh must vigorously attack this misbegotten idea, the Phillips Curve.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Definition of misbegotten
Adjective
  • In Virginia’s Franklin County, Henry Law made the switch from illicit moonshine production to commercial sales.
    — Cole Reynolds, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Johnny’s undercover mission leads to an unexpected bromance as he gets drawn into his target’s world of illicit thrills.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of illicit
Adjective
  • But the question remained unsolved for polygons with irrational angles.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As a result, the argument goes, today's spending is irrational because the hardware would need to be replaced too frequently to generate an attractive return on investment, known as ROI.
    — , CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of irrational
Adjective
  • The lovable Pumpkin was nominated by her adopted owner, Chris Seelbach, who also happens to be president and CEO of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Cincinnati.
    — Rasputin Todd, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The adopted operating budget for 2026 was $883 million, a number that could inch closer to $1 billion in 2027.
    — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 16 June 2026
Definition of adopted
Adjective
  • By the way, his freshman season ended with a 41-27 loss to Manning and Texas in the Citrus Bowl, playing for interim coach Biff Poggi after Sherrone Moore was fired amid criminal charges.
    — Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Jamaica’s petition is based on an 1833 law that made the committee the highest court for civil and criminal appeals in the British Empire.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal

Browse Nearby Words

illegitimacy
illegitimate
ill-fated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stigma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All