1
as in spurious
born to a father and mother who are not married
despite being illegitimate, Alexander Hamilton rose to greatness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
an illegitimate use of campaign contributions for personal expenses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unreasonable
not using or following good reasoning
made several illegitimate inferences
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of illegitimate
Rather than allay the concerns about her electability, Crockett has treated them as illegitimate and even racist.
—
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
At the start of the season, Sophie — who was born out of an illegitimate relationship between her father, Lord Penwood, and her mother, his maid and mistress — is living with and working for Lady Araminta (Katie Leung), her father's widow.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Apple Music introduced fraud penalties back in 2022, where along with demonetizing the illegitimate streams themselves, the company employed a sliding scale of fining fraudsters a fee calculated on what would’ve been royalties.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Noting her hesitancy, Benedict’s character in the book guesses that Sophie is illegitimate.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
At the start of the season, Sophie — who was born out of an illegitimate relationship between her father, Lord Penwood, and her mother, his maid and mistress — is living with and working for Lady Araminta (Katie Leung), her father's widow.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Apple Music introduced fraud penalties back in 2022, where along with demonetizing the illegitimate streams themselves, the company employed a sliding scale of fining fraudsters a fee calculated on what would’ve been royalties.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Noting her hesitancy, Benedict’s character in the book guesses that Sophie is illegitimate.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
-
Koren testified, on the basis of these spurious tests, that a toddler must have been ingesting substantial quantities of cocaine for about fourteen months.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The spurious designation of Qassem Soleimani as a global terrorist, something long requested by Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the green light for the expansion of the designation to other entities long held off from the moniker out of fear of its implications.—
Séamus Malekafzali,
Washington Post,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
-
Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.—
Lisa Beebe,
Los Angeles Magazine,
5 July 2017
Adjective
-
There are people who desire to drastically improve the health of our ecosystems who unknowingly struggle with unreasonable expectations.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Amid those pressures, many people turn to the comfort of a pet – but the expectations for what dogs can bring to our lives are becoming increasingly unreasonable.—
Margret Grebowicz,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Congress might then prohibit spending funds on such a misbegotten operation.—
Kevin Carroll,
Washington Post,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The conclusion is clear: The Justice Department should drop its misbegotten prosecution of Powell and let the focus be on the real problem with the Federal Reserve—its false philosophy regarding inflation.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The British government’s designation of Palestine Action as a terror group has been deemed unlawful by London’s High Court.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Lawsuits hamper National Guard deployments Every deployment except the one in New Orleans has faced significant legal challenges, with multiple judges ruling the mobilizations unlawful.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Away from the irrational exuberance, there are still sensible investments to be made.—
Mikael Johnsson,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The move would be both economically irrational and morally obtuse.—
Ruth Jean-Marie,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2021, then-Mayor Lamar Thorpe proposed a citywide crime-prevention plan to help local youths involved in illicit activities get off the streets.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The latest Epstein documents include a series of emails that Epstein sent to himself in 2013, appearing to suggest that Gates was having an extramarital affair and seeking illicit drugs.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Bainbridge knew about secrets and unreasoning shame.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Let sound political prescience but take the place of an unreasoning prejudice, and this will be done.—
Frederick Douglass,
The Atlantic,
16 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
