misbegotten

American  

[mis-bi-got-n] / ˌmɪs bɪˈgɒt n /

Also misbegot

adjective

1. unlawfully or irregularly begotten; born of unmarried parents; illegitimate.

   his misbegotten son.

2. badly conceived, made, or carried out.

   his misbegotten plan.

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misbegotten British  

/ ˌmɪsbɪˈɡɒtən /

adjective

1. unlawfully obtained

   misbegotten gains

2. badly conceived, planned, or designed

   a misbegotten scheme

3. Also: misbegot.  literary illegitimate; bastard

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Etymology

Origin of misbegotten

First recorded in 1540–50; mis- ¹ + begotten

Explanation

If you describe something as misbegotten, you think it had an improper basis or was poorly conceived — like the misbegotten dress code at your school, which requires students to wear long sleeves even in hot, humid weather. The adjective misbegotten, which commonly means "badly planned," used to have another use: it was a derogatory way to describe someone born to unmarried parents. It's extremely old fashioned to use the word that way, but you may come across it in an older book — describing a misbegotten heroine, for example. Misbegotten can also be used simply to mean "contemptible," as in "That misbegotten villain stole my grandmother's purse!"

Example Sentences

Sal quietly seethes with irritation at Sonny’s misbegotten machinations, his chilly demeanor suggesting a tense and potentially dangerous volatility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

It wasn’t their fault that the wars they found themselves in were misbegotten and mismanaged.

From Salon • Aug. 10, 2025

Spanning decades and traversing the ancient Mediterranean like some deeply misbegotten Carnival Cruise, this Shakespeare play mingles comedy, tragedy and Christian allegory.

From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2024

It was another, unforeseen legacy of this misbegotten program that we may soon regret.

From Slate • Feb. 15, 2024

This was the logical climax of the whole misbegotten day, this whole out-of-joint term at Devon.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles