1
as in spurious
born to a father and mother who are not married
despite being illegitimate, Alexander Hamilton rose to greatness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
an illegitimate use of campaign contributions for personal expenses
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unreasonable
not using or following good reasoning
made several illegitimate inferences
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of illegitimate
While the Taiwanese government insisted that the communist revolution made Mao’s rule over the mainland illegitimate and sought international recognition as the actual successor state to historic China, the global community has long since acknowledged the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party.
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Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Oct. 2024
Agents interviewed Sun about the packages and told him the devices were illegitimate.
—Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 5 Oct. 2024
Many Republicans now believe the 2020 election was illegitimate and their views of Jan. 6 have softened in the three years since the violence unfolded.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2024
Despite several lawsuits about the integrity of the election, no courts deemed the election as illegitimate.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for illegitimate 
Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Oct. 2024
Agents interviewed Sun about the packages and told him the devices were illegitimate.
—Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 5 Oct. 2024
Many Republicans now believe the 2020 election was illegitimate and their views of Jan. 6 have softened in the three years since the violence unfolded.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2024
Despite several lawsuits about the integrity of the election, no courts deemed the election as illegitimate.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
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In Florida, people who provided signatures in support of the state’s ballot measure received visits from state police investigating spurious allegations of fraud, and local television stations were threatened with criminal prosecution for airing an ad in support of the amendment.The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
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Additionally, there are mechanisms in agencies across the federal government to distinguish legitimate complaints of gender or racial bias from spurious ones.Reuben E. Brigety II, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2016
Adjective
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Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.James Bruggers, The Courier-Journal, 5 July 2017
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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
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As Barca laboured and eventually failed to land some of its transfer targets such as Nico Williams, the proposal for Casado might not have seemed too unreasonable at the time.Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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The indictment alleged Hankison deprived Taylor of the right to be free from unreasonable seizures and deprived her neighbors of the right to be free from the deprivation of liberty without due process of law.Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Ranking Coppola’s 23 features — his 1962 soft-core Tonight for Sure is not included, nor is his misbegotten New York Stories short feature or the Disney attraction Captain EO — was a difficult proposition.Scott Tobias, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
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Accepting a role in this misbegotten exercise was a giant strategic mistake, one driven less by the basic needs of Palestinian nationalism than the personal interests of Palestinian leaders.Yousef Munayyer, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2019
Adjective
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Three counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm, a Class 6 Felony.Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
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Heather’s parents, David and Bobbi Jo Baynard, were convicted of murder, felony child abuse and unlawful neglect of a child and sentenced to life in prison on the murder charge and a subsequent 30 years for the other two counts, the outlets report.Liam Quinn, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Another possible argument is the arbitrators’ decision is irrational given the evidence and testimony or, similarly, the arbitrators relied on materials and insights that were inapplicable or vulnerable to bias.Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Nov. 2024
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Stereotypes like these harm Latinas by turning us into unhinged and irrational women in the popular imagination of white U.S. society.Nicole Froio, refinery29.com, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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On Tuesday, Vice President Nguema Obiang Mangue ordered new measures to prevent judiciary and ministry officials from engaging in illicit acts at work, a government statement said.Reuters, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024
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Cases like these — and the slew of illicit shops padlocked by police on the local news — have the potential to alarm Americans who have only just begun to support the notion of legalization, and provide fuel for those who are opposed to it.Lavanya Ramanathan, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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As an unofficial adviser to the Chinese government and a scientific ambassador between his birth country and his adopted home, Lee was instrumental in a wide range of education and exchange programs in China.Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 5 Sep. 2024
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About 20% were for a family’s new child, whether that is after giving birth or welcoming an adopted or foster child.Kinsey Crowley, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near illegitimate
Cite this Entry
“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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