illegitimate
illegitimate Lexical Profile
illegitimate Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Not authorized by the law; not in accordance with accepted standards, rules, or legal principles.
"The international community refused to recognize the military junta, declaring its seizure of power illegitimate."
(of a child) Born of parents not lawfully married to each other.
"Under the feudal succession laws of the period, an illegitimate son could not inherit the family title."
Not based on sound reasoning or valid evidence; logically flawed or unjustifiable.
"The professor pointed out that the student's essay relied on an illegitimate conclusion drawn from incomplete data."
• noun
A person born of parents not lawfully married to each other.
"The parish register carefully recorded baptisms of both lawful heirs and illegitimates throughout the eighteenth century."
• verb
To declare or render unlawful, invalid, or illegitimate (especially by legal decree or statute).
"Following the annulment of the monarch's marriage, parliament passed an act to illegitimate the princess."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to children born to unmarried parents, 'illegitimate' is now considered dated and stigmatizing in everyday usage, though it still appears in historical or legal contexts.
• Rhymes for illegitimate
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 16th century from Medieval Latin 'illegitimatus', formed from the negative prefix 'il-' ('not') and 'legitimatus', the past participle of 'legitimare' ('to make lawful'), ultimately from Latin 'lex' ('law').