illegitimacy

[ il-i-jit-uh-muh-see ]

noun

, plural il·le·git·i·ma·cies.

1. the state or quality of being illegitimate.

illegitimacy

1. The condition of being born to unmarried parents. It was once considered a mark of disgrace but is generally more accepted now.

Word History and Origins

Origin of illegitimacy¹

First recorded in 1670–80; illegitim(ate) + -acy

Example Sentences

The dwindling stigmas on illegitimacy and on unmarried sexual partners, legal contraception, more laws supporting women’s access to the workplace — things that some conservatives want to reverse — “made at-fault divorce look more and more off-putting.”

From Los Angeles Times

The election, Mr. Siziba said, had created “a crisis of illegitimacy where the state is turning against its own citizens.”

From New York Times

If you give people something you hurt them, because it weakens their dignity, it creates illegitimacy as they used to call it, it will make poor people poorer.

From Salon

As I was reading the book, I remembered the illegitimacy I felt as a child when I realized my parents were unwed.

From Los Angeles Times

For Gaetz, who fancies himself the leader of the rebel rump, McCarthy’s collaboration with Democrats to keep the government open is proof of his illegitimacy.

From Los Angeles Times