out of wedlock

Idioms and Phrases

Of parents not legally married, as in Over the centuries many royal children were born out of wedlock . The noun wedlock , for the state of being married, is rarely heard today except in this phrase, first recorded in 1675; its converse, in wedlock , dates from the 1300s and is even more rarely used.

Example Sentences

A small-town kid born out of wedlock, he moved from the rustic countryside of Vinci, 30 miles west of Florence, to the sophisticated city to make his way.

From Los Angeles Times

But he was instead mired in scandal, including mounting debts and lawsuits and backlash from two children born out of wedlock.

From Los Angeles Times

He faced mounting costs for legal fees, spousal support and payments for children he fathered out of wedlock.

From Los Angeles Times

Catherine gave birth in an orphanage in Dublin and, because of attitudes at the time about children born out of wedlock, she was coerced into giving Gladys up for adoption.

From BBC

Cohen also recounted going to Trump after learning about a Trump Tower doorman who claimed, falsely, that Trump had a child out of wedlock.

From Seattle Times