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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of illegitimate
Plenty of celebrities have been dinged for tax evasion or use of illegitimate tax shelters, including major names like Lil Wayne, Willie Nelson and Dionne Warwick.
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Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024
Texas Republicans are making a preemptive push to paint the 2024 election as illegitimate and rife with fraud.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2024
Additionally, Spiro argues use of the Child Victims Act (CVA) is illegitimate since the incident also lies outside both the original window and the revival periods for that law.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
One of the men, Capt. William West, was born to West’s spinster aunt, Elizabeth — and illegitimate.
—Cnn, The Mercury News, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for illegitimate 
Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024
Texas Republicans are making a preemptive push to paint the 2024 election as illegitimate and rife with fraud.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 4 Nov. 2024
Additionally, Spiro argues use of the Child Victims Act (CVA) is illegitimate since the incident also lies outside both the original window and the revival periods for that law.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
One of the men, Capt. William West, was born to West’s spinster aunt, Elizabeth — and illegitimate.
—Cnn, The Mercury News, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
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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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In the comments, many people criticized the niece for disregarding her uncle's feelings and making an unreasonable request.Erin Clack, People.com, 14 Jan. 2025
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Most Canadians supported the move and opposed the weekslong blockades, but the Federal Court of Canada ruled last year that the use of the powers was unreasonable.Amanda Coletta The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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It’s been a long, bumpy ride for Marvel’s first family, which is finally joining the MCU after three prior misbegotten cinematic iterations of the team.A.A. Dowd, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In finding the defendant guilty in this case, the jury necessarily found unanimously that the defendant falsified 34 separate entries in his business records with the intent to defraud, which included an intent to commit or conceal a conspiracy to promote his own election by unlawful means.ABC NEWS, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025
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Capitol Police identified him Thursday as Adrian J. Hinton, 35, saying he was arrested for unlawful activities.Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Now comes a cataclysm in the country’s foremost blue state that is traceable, in part, to irrational progressive priorities and may prove a millstone around the neck of one of the foremost talents on the Democratic bench, California governor Gavin Newsom.Rich Lowry, National Review, 15 Jan. 2025
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After a turbulent period of irrational exuberance followed by skepticism, the creator economy appears poised for its second major growth cycle, with M&A activity forecast to accelerate significantly in 2025.Ian Shepherd, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Throughout the Biden administration, Cuba has worked with U.S. law enforcement – primarily through its engagement with the FBI as well as through the multilateral body Financial Action Task Force – to combat illicit financing, including the funding of terrorism.Jason M. Blazakis, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2025
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Though police and prosecutors in at least two counties have joined forces to aggressively tackle the illicit drug together, few agencies in the rest of the region have made investigating fentanyl deaths a priority, the Star found.Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 16 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 21 Jan. 2025.
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