ill-begotten

adjective

ill-be·​got·​ten ˈil-bi-ˈgä-tᵊn 

-bē-

1

: having an illicit or improper origin : ill-gotten

… if they were stolen for fun and not profit the thieves are going to be pretty disappointed with their ill-begotten booty.

—Alex Cranz

also : illicit, improper

We need to get money—especially of ill-begotten provenance—out of politics.

—Stephen A. Jarislowsky

Whatever Channel 8 gained in bucks from this ill-begotten use of news time for huckstering, it more than lost in reputation.

—Robert P. Laurence

2

: badly planned : ill-conceived

… the partnership collapsed after an ill-begotten attempt to secure the bill's passage …

—Michele Wucker

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1