1
as in spurious
born to a father and mother who are not married
despite being illegitimate, Alexander Hamilton rose to greatness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law
an illegitimate use of campaign contributions for personal expenses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unreasonable
not using or following good reasoning
made several illegitimate inferences
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illegitimate
Teams with low absenteeism judge calling in sick for illegitimate reasons.
—
Lieke Ten Brummelhuis, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
However, some illegitimate brands may sell contaminated or mislabeled products.
—Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2025
From a phone in the Kremlin, Burns listened to the Russian leader recite his usual bill of grievances—an expansionist NATO threatened Russian security; Zelensky was the illegitimate leader of a non-country.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Lieke Ten Brummelhuis, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
However, some illegitimate brands may sell contaminated or mislabeled products.
—Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2025
From a phone in the Kremlin, Burns listened to the Russian leader recite his usual bill of grievances—an expansionist NATO threatened Russian security; Zelensky was the illegitimate leader of a non-country.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for illegitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegitimate
Adjective
-
Donald Trump, who practically built his entire 2024 presidential campaign on the spurious grievance that Joe Biden has weaponized the Justice Department against him and his allies, is weaponizing his own Justice Department against his enemies and in service of his friends.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2025
-
In May 2024, Cairo joined South Africa in its spurious legal case at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of war crimes—without any evidence.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
The price isn’t unreasonable given the amount of detail that went into designing it and the combination of functions, including the antimicrobial and cooling materials, as well as its adaptability.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
20 Feb. 2025
-
This protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Clooney called out President George W. Bush for the misbegotten war, and he was called a traitor for being against it.—
Thea Traff,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Trump, Musk so far provide scant evidence for their claims of government fraud Trump's post on Saturday sparked backlash from Democrats, who accused him of using the office of the presidency to justify unlawful or ethically dubious actions.—
Julia Reinstein,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2025
-
Their egregious and seemingly unlawful acts compromise our national security and put Americans at risk.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The ban is an irrational and prejudicial attack on service members who have risked their lives to serve their country.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
-
The emotional, messy, unquantifiable part of us — that’s not a dumber or more irrational part.—
Sigal Samuel,
Vox,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Toxicology results also found there were no illicit drugs in her system.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
19 Feb. 2025
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That includes caffeine, alcohol, and illicit drugs, says Dr. Lokesh Shahani, a psychiatrist with UTHealth Houston.—
Angela Haupt,
TIME,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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His adopted daughter, Sandra Correia Lopes, 12, weighs just 12 kilograms, or 26 pounds, and falls sick frequently.—
Sui-Lee Wee,
New York Times,
16 Feb. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Illegitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegitimate. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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