ILLEGITIMATE Synonyms: 168 Similar and Opposite Words

illegitimate

adjective

ˌi-li-ˈji-tə-mət

Definition of illegitimate

as in spurious

born to a father and mother who are not married despite being illegitimate, Alexander Hamilton rose to greatness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

legitimate

as in illegal

contrary to or forbidden by law an illegitimate use of campaign contributions for personal expenses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in unreasonable

not using or following good reasoning made several illegitimate inferences

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of illegitimate Federal judges have quashed many of the subpoenas as illegitimate efforts to intimidate providers into ending care. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 But that’s forcing them to wrestle with the idea that any action taken by a party is illegitimate, anti-democratic rigging — something the other team can use to depress the base. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 July 2026 Signature-matching efforts sometimes disqualify more legitimate than illegitimate ballots. — Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 15 July 2026 If the Hand of God effectively flipped the bird to the English side—then as now, Diego Maradona’s first goal was farcically illegitimate—the Argentine captain’s subsequent score was something out of the divine intervention catalogue. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for illegitimate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate

Adjective

These spurious claims about childhood vaccines will only increase vaccine hesitation with harmful results.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Researchers found that models can score well on standard benchmarks while relying on spurious correlations in their training data.

— Lucas Zhao, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Definition of spurious

Adjective

Spires is also charged with felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a dangerous person and three misdemeanors, while Wilson is also charged with two misdemeanors, filings show.

— Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Put more bluntly, sports event contracts are protected by federal law in some parts of the country but remain vulnerable elsewhere to states deeming them unlawful.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of unlawful

Adjective

Presented by Hollywood Entertainment, the evening could be ground zero for the next stage of the misbegotten movie’s revival.

— Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
At next week’s meeting, Kevin Warsh must vigorously attack this misbegotten idea, the Phillips Curve.

— Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

Definition of misbegotten

Adjective

Deli containers, those clear plastic cylinders that hold bagel schmears, premade pasta salads, and the occasional illicit public beach cocktail, enjoy vaunted status in the food world.

— Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026
The Lake County State's Attorney said an investigation starting in June 2026 found illicit activity on a peer-to-peer file-sharing network.

— Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of illicit

Adjective

But the question remained unsolved for polygons with irrational angles.

— Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
As a result, the argument goes, today's spending is irrational because the hardware would need to be replaced too frequently to generate an attractive return on investment, known as ROI.

— , CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of irrational

Adjective

Jacobs was formally charged Thursday with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property, stemming from the May 23 incident at his home near Green Bay.

— Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
The bill brings state fireworks licensing requirements in line with federal ones by expanding the list of criminal convictions that make applicants ineligible for fireworks licenses.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of criminal

Browse Nearby Words

illegitimacy

illegitimate

ill-fated

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“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of illegitimate

adjective

Example Sentences

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