Illegitimate
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Illegitimate is an adjective meaning Not conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.
Meaning
Not conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.
More Meanings
- Not in accordance with the law.
- Not sanctioned by marriage.
- Not correctly deduced.
- Not authorized by good usage; not genuine.
- (botany) Involving the fertilization of pistils by stamens not of their own length, in heterogonously dimorphic and trimorphic flowers.
- A person born to unmarried parents.
- (transitive) To make illegitimate.
Example Sentences
an illegitimate inference
His illegitimate birth deprived him of the influence of a father until perhaps his fifth year […]
[…] it may be impossible to convince them that the illegitimate power which they obtain, by degrading themselves, is a curse […]
If we credit the scandal of the former [i.e. his enemies], Artaxerxes sprang from the illegitimate commerce of a tanner’s wife with a common soldier.
Word Forms
- illegitimates
- illegitimating
- illegitimated
Synonyms for illegitimate
Depending on context, synonyms include base, baseborn, base born, bastardly, extramarital, misbegotten.
Antonyms for illegitimate
Common opposites include legitimate, valid, acceptable, allowable, legit, leveful.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include illicit, unlawful, illegal, wrongful, outlawed, outlaw.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.