What does "bastardism" mean?
The condition of being born out of wedlock; bastardy.
Bastardism
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The condition of being born out of wedlock; bastardy.
- Grammar: bastardism is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: bar sinister, baton.
- Usage evidence: So much in those days for royal bastardism.
How to use "bastardism"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bastardism" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bastardism" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bastardism" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bastardism" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bastardism" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bar sinister" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bastardism", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The condition of being born out of wedlock; bastardy. uncountable
"So much in those days for royal bastardism."
- 2 A tendency to produce bastards; lack of chastity. uncountable
"A full one-third, and oftentimes more, is expended upon officials and in defraying establishment charges; the remainder is wasted upon the most worthless and vicious of the population, and in sustaining bastardism."
- 3 Racial impurity; that state or quality of being mixed-race. uncountable
"The old man of the family is a mulatto, the mother an Indian; only one of the race has any tolerable pretensions to whiteness of complexion, and this must be the effect of bastardism or of some wild anomalous lusus naturae, or whim of nature, as the philosophers call it, which however has no influence upon his low manners and native stupidity."
- 4 Sexual reproduction involving different species. uncountable
"It is generally well known that all efforts of bastardism to propagate are sterile, and we need not witness the efforts of the horse and mule trying to create a new and better species."
- 5 An unnatural combination; a mixture of things that do not belong together. countable, uncountable
"The Dukes of Savoy did not reside on the sunny side of the Alps till about the middle of the sixteenth century, and even then, far from becoming naturalized to the climate of Italy, they gave Piedmont that tinge of French bastardism, against which the newly arisen national spirit is now so successfully reacting."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Ideological concern with whether someone is related by blood. uncountable
"Bastardism is everywhere. In the Tiny Tears commercial a three-year-old tells her dolly not to cry because "she's her very own baby"? Don't you see? It's Bloodspeak, right in the language: Comes by it honestly."
- 7 An act or quality of being bastardly; contemptibleness, cruelty, or lack of proper behavior. countable, uncountable
"By God, indeed; I cannot stand your bastardism, Jacques,” and I took my blanket in hand, dashed from the room, and made my bed in the hallway."
Synonyms
All synonyms bar sinisterbaton
Example
"So much in those days for royal bastardism."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bastardism"?
Common synonyms include: bar sinister, baton.
How do you use "bastardism" in a sentence?
So much in those days for royal bastardism.
Etymology
From bastard + -ism.