What does "illegitimate" mean?
A person born to unmarried parents.
Illegitimate
/ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person born to unmarried parents.
- Grammar: illegitimate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: actionable, adulterine, affected, against the law.
- Useful contrasts: legitimate, valid, aboveboard.
- Usage evidence: For a start, he was the illegitimate son of an unmarried mother.
How to use "illegitimate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "illegitimate" 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 "illegitimate" 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 "illegitimate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "illegitimate" 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 "illegitimate" is acting as adj, noun, verb 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 "actionable" 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 "illegitimate", 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 A person born to unmarried parents.
"Her father and mine was a shameless man and of all his illegitimates I am the most unfortunate and poverty stricken."
- 2 the illegitimate offspring of unmarried parents wordnet
Verb
- 1 To make illegitimate. transitive
Adjective
- 1 Not conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.
"[…] it may be impossible to convince them that the illegitimate power which they obtain, by degrading themselves, is a curse […]"
- 2 Not in accordance with the law.
"[…] if things went on at this rate it would be doubtful soon whether ever again he would be able to win another election by methods legitimate or illegitimate."
- 3 Not sanctioned by marriage.
"If we credit the scandal of the former [i.e. his enemies], Artaxerxes sprang from the illegitimate commerce of a tanner’s wife with a common soldier."
- 4 Not sanctioned by marriage.; Born to unmarried parents.
"an illegitimate child"
- 5 Not sanctioned by marriage.; Having a child or children with a person to whom one is not married. dated
"She had only to collect her memories, which proved to her that “anybody” regarded the illegitimate children as more rightfully to be looked shy on and deprived of social advantages than illegitimate fathers."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Not correctly deduced.
"an illegitimate inference"
- 7 Not authorized by good usage; not genuine.
"an illegitimate word"
- 8 Involving the fertilization of pistils by stamens not of their own length, in heterogonously dimorphic and trimorphic flowers.
"illegitimate union; illegitimate fertilization"
Adjective
- 1 contrary to or forbidden by law wordnet
- 2 of marriages and offspring; not recognized as lawful wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"For a start, he was the illegitimate son of an unmarried mother."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "illegitimate"?
Common synonyms include: actionable, adulterine, affected, against the law, anarchic, anarchistic.
How do you use "illegitimate" in a sentence?
For a start, he was the illegitimate son of an unmarried mother.
How do you pronounce "illegitimate"?
Pronounced /ɪlɪˈd͡ʒɪtɪmət/.
Etymology
First attested in 1536, from Latin illēgitimus, most likely an adapted borrowing of Middle French illegitime, equivalent to il- + legitimate, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3).