illegitimate

[ adjective noun il-i-jit-uh-mit; verb il-i-jit-uh-meyt ]

adjective

1. born of parents who are not married to each other; born out of wedlock:

   an illegitimate child.

2. not legitimate; not sanctioned by law or custom.
3. unlawful; illegal:

   an illegitimate action.

4. irregular; not in good usage.
5. Logic. not in accordance with the principles of valid inference.
6. Obsolete. (formerly, in London)
   1. of or relating to stage plays in which musical numbers were inserted because of laws that gave only a few theaters the exclusive right to produce straight dramas.
   2. acting in or producing such productions.

noun

1. a person recognized or looked upon as illegitimate.

verb (used with object)

, il·le·git·i·mat·ed, il·le·git·i·mat·ing.

1. to declare illegitimate.

illegitimate

/ ˌɪlɪˈdʒɪtɪmɪt /

adjective

1. born of parents who were not married to each other at the time of birth; bastard
2. forbidden by law; illegal; unlawful
3. contrary to logic; incorrectly reasoned

noun

1. an illegitimate person; bastard

Derived Forms

• ˌilleˈgitimately, adverb
• ˌilleˈgitimacy, noun

Other Words From

• ille·giti·mate·ly adverb
• ille·giti·mate·ness ille·giti·mation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of illegitimate¹

First recorded in 1530–40; il- ² + legitimate

Synonym Study

See illegal.

Example Sentences

When people are made to feel like nothing really matters anymore, and the “system” and “the elites” and their society are broken and illegitimate, they will engage in behavior that is individually and collectively destructive.

From Salon

His four-star review also praised Paul Mescal for his performance as the illegitimate son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus, Lucius, and called him a "formidable lead".

From BBC

Clinton’s loss to Trump in 2016, I told the editor of a prominent policy journal that his and her Clintonite regime is “illegitimate and unsustainable.”

From Salon

"It was just an illegitimate system, and it had to do with feeling like the fault approach just wasn't capturing what we should really care about, which is whether a marriage had failed or not," Grossman said.

From Salon

The calls to “stop the count!” ultimately led to the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the doubts Trump planted in the minds of his followers have since hardened into belief: Nearly 70% of Republicans believe that Biden’s 2020 win was illegitimate.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• illegal
• illicit
• improper
• invalid
• unauthorized
• unconstitutional
• unlawful