1
as in spurious
born to a father and mother who are not married
despite being illegitimate, Alexander Hamilton rose to greatness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
an illegitimate use of campaign contributions for personal expenses
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unreasonable
not using or following good reasoning
made several illegitimate inferences
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illegitimate
Among the hoard is Eugenius, an infamous ruler considered illegitimate by the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire.
—
Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 15 Jan. 2025
Collins was an unsuccessful candidate in a special election for Georgia’s Senate in 2020 and has more recently served as a legal counsel to Trump, particularly advising on the false claims that the 2020 election was stolen in Georgia because of illegitimate ballots.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2025
Trump, who contends Smith’s appointment was illegitimate, asked to filed an argument in the case to bring a perspective as a past and future president about how officials are appointed.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
In 2021, 147 Republicans voted to overturn the result of the election and discount electors for President Joe Biden, even though Trump had failed to produce any evidence that the result was illegitimate.
—Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for illegitimate 
Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 15 Jan. 2025
Collins was an unsuccessful candidate in a special election for Georgia’s Senate in 2020 and has more recently served as a legal counsel to Trump, particularly advising on the false claims that the 2020 election was stolen in Georgia because of illegitimate ballots.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2025
Trump, who contends Smith’s appointment was illegitimate, asked to filed an argument in the case to bring a perspective as a past and future president about how officials are appointed.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
In 2021, 147 Republicans voted to overturn the result of the election and discount electors for President Joe Biden, even though Trump had failed to produce any evidence that the result was illegitimate.
—Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
-
They stiff-arm congressional subpoenas or demands for information with spurious claims of state secrets, executive privilege or unwritten tradition.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Jan. 2025
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But other times, insurance companies deny claims after inadequate investigations or for spurious reasons.—
Jay Feinman,
The Conversation,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.—
Lisa Beebe,
Los Angeles Magazine,
5 July 2017
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Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
Adjective
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Reddit Reacts Reddit users supported OP, pointing out the unreasonable nature of the neighbor's behavior.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
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The Supreme Court weighed Monday whether courts should examine everything that happened during the traffic stop or just the split seconds when the officer feared for his safety in deciding whether the officer can be tried for unreasonable force.—
Ella Lee,
The Hill,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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One of those items is a very real-looking papier-mâché pigeon poking out from a hole in the wall of that misbegotten closet.—
Wendy Goodman,
Curbed,
14 Jan. 2025
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The dessert for this feast of misbegotten nominations was served when Trump appointed Kimberly Guilfoyle, the longtime fiancée of his eldest son, Don, Jr., as the new Ambassador to Greece—a move that accommodates the son’s fresher affections for a Palm Beach socialite.—
David Remnick,
The New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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He was charged with second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and unlawful discharge.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
23 Jan. 2025
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The aim was to see how institutions — both public and private — would react to a president giving unlawful or unethical orders.—
Byron Tau,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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There were some generational differences in regard to the reasons driving irrational purchases.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
WWD,
27 Jan. 2025
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The author suggests that large crowds can be made irrational, often due to charismatic leadership, and shows how most people choose to go with the grain. Group decisions can also reduce a sense of personal accountability as people find solidarity in what the masses want.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This is an easy argument to dismiss because most illicit drugs don't enter the U.S. via people sneaking across the border.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
26 Jan. 2025
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Yet, the defendants allegedly stole $44 million from the relief pool and chose to spend their illicit gains on jewelry, designer clothing, and luxury cars.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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As an unofficial adviser to the Chinese government and a scientific ambassador between his birth country and his adopted home, Lee was instrumental in a wide range of education and exchange programs in China.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2024
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About 20% were for a family’s new child, whether that is after giving birth or welcoming an adopted or foster child.—
Kinsey Crowley,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near illegitimate
Cite this Entry
“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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