ILLEGITIMATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does illegitimate mean? 

• ILLEGITIMATE (noun)
  The noun ILLEGITIMATE has 1 sense:

1. the illegitimate offspring of unmarried parents

  Familiarity information: ILLEGITIMATE used as a noun is very rare.

• ILLEGITIMATE (adjective)
  The adjective ILLEGITIMATE has 2 senses:

1. contrary to or forbidden by law

2. of marriages and offspring; not recognized as lawful

  Familiarity information: ILLEGITIMATE used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ILLEGITIMATE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The illegitimate offspring of unmarried parents

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

bastard; by-blow; illegitimate; illegitimate child; love child; whoreson

Hypernyms ("illegitimate" is a kind of...):

issue; offspring; progeny (the immediate descendants of a person)

• ILLEGITIMATE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Contrary to or forbidden by law

Synonyms:

illegitimate; illicit; outlaw; outlawed; unlawful

Context example:

unlawful measures

Similar:

illegal (prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Of marriages and offspring; not recognized as lawful

Similar:

adulterine (conceived in adultery)

base; baseborn (illegitimate)

bastardly; misbegot; misbegotten; spurious (born out of wedlock)

fatherless (not having a known or legally responsible father)

left-handed ((of marriages) illicit or informal)

unlawful; wrongful (having no legally established claim)

Also:

unauthorised; unauthorized (not endowed with authority)

illegal (prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules)

invalid (having no cogency or legal force)

Antonym:

legitimate (of marriages and offspring; recognized as lawful)

 Context examples 

Mrs. Fairfax found you to train it; but now you know that it is the illegitimate offspring of a French opera-girl, you will perhaps think differently of your post and protegee: you will be coming to me some day with notice that you have found another place—that you beg me to look out for a new governess, &c.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)