Definition of misbegottennext
as in illegitimate
born to a father and mother who are not married a misbegotten child who never knew his father

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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 misbegotten Into this narrow social wedge was born a boy, child of a passionate but misbegotten moment. Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026 In the case of the misbegotten At the Sea, Amy Adams stars as Laura, a wife, mother and daughter who sees all of those parts of her life collide into self-destruction after a drunk-driving accident with her son Felix (Redding Munsell) in the car. Pete Hammond, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026 Congress might then prohibit spending funds on such a misbegotten operation. Kevin Carroll, Washington Post, 14 Jan. 2026 Every year, the Globes’ most misbegotten category gets more hilarious. Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for misbegotten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misbegotten
illegitimate
Adjective
  • 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

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“Misbegotten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbegotten. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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