ILLEGITIMATE Synonyms: 168 Similar and Opposite Words

illegitimate

adjective

ˌi-li-ˈji-tə-mət

Definition of illegitimate

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

legitimate

as in illegal

contrary to or forbidden by law an illegitimate use of campaign contributions for personal expenses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

But after his son Eugene Horsch, 44, was arrested in June on charges involving unlawful firearms and forgery, police made a series of unsettling discoveries at the family home on Chew Avenue in Philly's Olney neighborhood.

— Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Plummer has a history of violent charges in Cook County, including domestic battery and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, authorities said.

— Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of unlawful

Adjective

Accurate voter lists and lawful mail-voting options are not unreasonable demands.

— Lee Moak, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
The court ultimately upheld the search warrant, finding probable cause and concluded that obtaining the data remotely was not an unreasonable search.

— Jihun Joun, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of unreasonable

Adjective

That title gives a first clue towards how misbegotten and compromised this new Tom and Jerry joint is.

— Caspar Salmon, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of misbegotten

Adjective

China has strengthened its seed protection laws several times in the last few years; similarly, Japan passed new legislation in July to prevent the illicit export of homegrown varieties.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
According to the manufacturer, the system is designed to deactivate organic medications including opioids, most illicit drugs and vape fluid in different forms like pills, liquid and patches.

— Sunny Linnebur, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of illicit

Adjective

Our simple equation, for example, has the solutions and , which are irrational; their digits begin and keep going forever without repeating.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026
So the strongest performers tend to resist hardest, and their response is not irrational.

— Pankaj Prasoon, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of irrational

Adjective

Lucas Museum Chief Executive Tracey Bates sees another fit between the institution and its adopted city.

— Jane Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of adopted

Adjective

Initially arrested and charged in connection with Houston’s death in fall 2025, Franklin has also been charged in two additional criminal incidents.

— Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 14 Sep. 2026
The probe echoes investigations into the deaths of actor Matthew Perry and rapper Mac Miller, both of which resulted in criminal charges for their respective drug suppliers.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of criminal

Browse Nearby Words

illegitimacy

illegitimate

ill-fated

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of illegitimate

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

nemesis

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes