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

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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

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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

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 Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has balked at negotiating a peace deal directly with Zelenskyy, asserts that the Ukrainian president is an illegitimate leader because his term expired in 2024. — Barry Hatton, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 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 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
  • The next year Williams was charged in the Southern District of Iowa for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in the kidnapping case.
    — Breaking News, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Federal authorities later charged him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of unlawful
Adjective
  • Chad Marlow, a policy attorney with the ACLU, argues that citizens remain at risk for unreasonable surveillance under Missouri’s new guidelines.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The factors most closely tied to burnout included unfair treatment, crushing workloads, unclear expectations, poor communication and support from managers, and unreasonable deadlines.
    — Christos Makridis, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of unreasonable
Adjective
  • This all led to Primetime, Lance Oppenheim’s fever dream of a film which dramatizes the world of To Catch a Predator and builds toward the show’s misbegotten trip to Texas.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026
  • That title gives a first clue towards how misbegotten and compromised this new Tom and Jerry joint is.
    — Caspar Salmon, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of misbegotten
Adjective
  • The group’s president and CEO, Steve Lamar, said the AAFA is urging stronger action against platforms that enable the trade of dupes and fakes, which can be dangerous to consumers as the illicit goods are produced through unregulated operations.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Both local and federal investigators are investigating the source and supplier of the illicit drugs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of illicit
Adjective
  • The industrial revolutions of the past produced enormous value alongside bankruptcies, dislocations, and periods of irrational exuberance.
    — Brian Solis, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • If anyone can reconstruct Apéry’s reasoning, the odd values of zeta may finally be proven irrational.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 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
  • Spanning multiple decades, the period procedural follows a legendary detective who, alongside his dedicated team, cracks complex criminal cases while chronicling the evolving apparatus of China’s public security forces.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Patterson said on his campaign website his priorities include pushing for local rather than state control, strengthening criminal accountability, securing funding for infrastructure and protecting homeowners from rising property tax rates.
    — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of criminal

Browse Nearby Words

illegitimacy
illegitimate
ill-fated
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Cite this Entry

“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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