illegitimate

adjective
UK: /ˌɪləˈdʒɪtɪmət/
US: /ˌɪləˈdʒɪtɪmət/

  1. Not allowed by law or rules; born of parents not married to each other.

    1. His illegitimate business deals caused him many problems.
    2. The king's illegitimate son had no rights to the throne, causing conflict.

  2. Not based on or done according to reason or logic.

    1. That's illegitimate! You can't just change the rules now.
    2. Declaring the election illegitimate without evidence is a dangerous act.

Synonyms

illegal unlawful invalid illogical unjustified bastard
illegitimate transitive-verb

  1. To make something illegitimate.

    1. The scandal could illegitimate the entire government.
    2. His lies were meant to illegitimate her claim, but failed.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "illegitimate" in English means: Not allowed by law or rules; born of parents not married to each other., Not based on or done according to reason or logic..

The phonetic transcription of "illegitimate" is /ˌɪləˈdʒɪtɪmət/ in British English and /ˌɪləˈdʒɪtɪmət/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "illegitimate": illegal, unlawful, invalid, illogical, unjustified, bastard.

Example usage of "illegitimate": "His illegitimate business deals caused him many problems.". More examples on the page.