illegitimate
adjective
il·le·git·i·mate
ˌi-li-ˈji-tə-mət 
1
a
: not recognized as lawful offspring
b
: born of parents not married to each other
2
a
: not sanctioned by law : illegal
b
: not authorized by good usage
c
of a taxon
: published but not in accordance with the rules of the relevant international code
3
: not rightly deduced or inferred : illogical
4
: departing from the regular : erratic
illegitimately
adverb
Examples of illegitimate in a Sentence
She thinks that my concerns are illegitimate.
They were fired from their jobs for illegitimate reasons.
Recent Examples on the Web
Carlson said he's seen a lot of online comments on posts about his new record claiming the fish's weight seems impossible and bow fishing being illegitimate.
—
Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 23 July 2025
However, in past few years, the European Union has focused its attention on regulating activities in freeports, especially after increasing instances of use of these freeports, including those in Switzerland and Geneva, for illegitimate activities.
—Priya Prakash Royal Esq. Ll.m. Mba Aep Tep, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
The Chinese refused to participate in the proceedings and maintain the decision is illegitimate.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
Trump’s comments came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against U.N. official Francesca Albanese, accusing her of pushing illegitimate efforts at the International Criminal Court targeting U.S. and Israeli leaders.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
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Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 23 July 2025
However, in past few years, the European Union has focused its attention on regulating activities in freeports, especially after increasing instances of use of these freeports, including those in Switzerland and Geneva, for illegitimate activities.
—Priya Prakash Royal Esq. Ll.m. Mba Aep Tep, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
The Chinese refused to participate in the proceedings and maintain the decision is illegitimate.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
Trump’s comments came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against U.N. official Francesca Albanese, accusing her of pushing illegitimate efforts at the International Criminal Court targeting U.S. and Israeli leaders.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Cite this Entry
“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illegitimate. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
illegitimate
adjective
il·le·git·i·mate
ˌil-i-ˈjit-ə-mət
1
: born of a father and mother who are not married
2
: illegal
illegitimately
adverb
Legal Definition
illegitimate
adjective
il·le·git·i·mate
ˌi-li-ˈji-tə-mət
1
: not recognized by the law as offspring
specifically
: born out of marriage
Note: An illegitimate child is usually legitimated by his or her parents' later marriage. Illegitimate children generally have the same inheritance rights under intestate successions as legitimate children; statutes limiting their inheritance rights have been found to violate the equal protection clause.
2
: not valid according to law
illegitimate
noun
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