illegitimate
adjective
\
Definition of illegitimate
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms & Antonyms for illegitimate
Synonyms
baseborn, bastard, misbegotten, natural, spurious, supposititious, unfathered
Antonyms
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of illegitimate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Trump administration enacted the program to serve as a deterrent that keeps migrants from filing illegitimate asylum claims to get into the United States. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Feds appeal asylum decision for first ‘Remain in Mexico’ migrant to win his case," 6 Sep. 2019 And thanks to a combination of new technology and legal ambiguity, autodial marketing calls — both legitimate and illegitimate — are on the rise. — Emily Cadei, Anchorage Daily News, "Americans are sick of robocalls. Can Congress agree on how to block them?," 13 Aug. 2019 Suddenly, the inconceivable, the heresy-even-to-hint-at, was to be taken as gospel: The outcome was illegitimate! — Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, "The Election Is Legitimate Only If the Democrats Win," 16 Aug. 2019 Several illegitimate children reveal a passionate side, while the domineering treatment of his offspring confirm the sense of a man determined to be in charge. — William Anthony Hay, WSJ, "‘Emperor’ Review: A Sovereign on the Move," 21 June 2019 The real danger is that declaring political foes to be illegitimate is incompatible with the basic rules of American democracy, which require us to accept, albeit grudgingly, the election victories of our opponents. — Jonathan S. Tobin, National Review, "Doxing Donors and the New Era of Scorched-Earth Politics," 8 Aug. 2019 Sources say that Empress Elizabeth did have an illegitimate daughter with Razumovsky. — National Geographic, "This 'pretender princess' tried to steal Catherine the Great's throne," 6 Aug. 2019 Even after Obama released a long-form version of his birth certificate, hoping to quell the conspiracy, Trump kept floating the idea that Obama was an illegitimate president. — Christal Hayes, USA TODAY, "Here are the times Donald Trump's critics say he stoked racial tensions," 5 Aug. 2019 But Douglas also found another reason to flee: to wed a friend, Isabella Robinson (also a friend of Mary Shelley’s), at least in part as a cover for Robinson’s illegitimate pregnancy. — Jeanna Kadlec, Longreads, "The 19th Century Lesbian Made for 21st Century Consumption," 7 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'illegitimate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for illegitimate
illegitimate
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of illegitimate
See the full definition for illegitimate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
illegitimate
adjective
\
Kids Definition of illegitimate
illegitimate
adjective
\
Legal Definition of illegitimate
Note: An illegitimate child is usually legitimated by his or her parents' later marriage. Illegitimate children generally have the same inheritance rights under intestate successions as legitimate children; statutes limiting their inheritance rights have been found to violate the equal protection clause.
Keep scrolling for more