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
Once a sky-blue democracy is restored, may Trump’s days of infamy be ruled illegitimate and his name and legacy duly tainted by all of history, darkly blackened or cautiously reddened in the honest records that this twerp and his twisted cohorts have conspired so heinously to whitewash.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Even with policies such as unlimited paid time off, singles may hesitate to take vacations, fearing that their managers will see their reasons for taking time off as illegitimate.
—Peter McGraw, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2026
Crime abhors a vacuum, and in Tommy’s absence, the Peaky Blinders gang has reformed under the aegis of his sociopathic illegitimate son Duke (Barry Keoghan).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
As Sophie Baek, the illegitimate daughter of an earl who comes to work for the Bridgerton family, Ha’s wardrobe is often limited to a maid uniform.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Even with policies such as unlimited paid time off, singles may hesitate to take vacations, fearing that their managers will see their reasons for taking time off as illegitimate.
—Peter McGraw, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2026
Crime abhors a vacuum, and in Tommy’s absence, the Peaky Blinders gang has reformed under the aegis of his sociopathic illegitimate son Duke (Barry Keoghan).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
As Sophie Baek, the illegitimate daughter of an earl who comes to work for the Bridgerton family, Ha’s wardrobe is often limited to a maid uniform.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
-
Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s 80-year-old former leader, is serving a 27-year prison term on charges widely viewed as spurious and politically motivated.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Using that spurious justification, ICE agents have detained, assaulted, and even — in the case of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti — killed people for recording.—
Andrew Case,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 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
-
As in Williams’ case, attorneys argued that a sweep had violated the plaintiffs’ Fourth Amendment rights protecting them from unreasonable search and seizure, as well as their 14th Amendment right to due process.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Because that is ultimately what The Secret Garden is about—the stubborn, almost unreasonable insistence of living things to grow toward the light.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Then there was the misbegotten, no-bid $140 million contract for medical services between the state Department of Corrections and UConn Health.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Into this narrow social wedge was born a boy, child of a passionate but misbegotten moment.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Heifler was charged with ferdeal counts of unlawful possession of a destructive devices and unlawful making of destructive devices, officials said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Stanford School of Medicine prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s something both early American and midcentury modern in the design of these solid-oak vanities, which arrived just as everyone seems to have gotten over an irrational fear of brown furniture.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The answer turned out to be four more years of sacrifice, struggle, and hope that must have felt, at times, completely irrational.—
Sharon McMahon,
Glamour,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Two men who worked as couriers for an illicit delivery service that sold methamphetamine, ketamine and cocaine in the same style as popular restaurant and grocery deliver services were given sentences that did not include any prison time, court records show.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Economically depressed, Garberville depends on an illicit economy — cannabis production — that is the town’s most open secret.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
