Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

illegitimate

[ɪlɨˈd͡ʒɪɾəmɨt]

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.43 in modern English

Syllables: il-le-git-i-mate
IPA: [ɪlɨˈd͡ʒɪɾəmɨt]

15

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

5

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Not conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.

adj

Not in accordance with the law.

adj

Not sanctioned by marriage.

adj

Not sanctioned by marriage.

adj

Not sanctioned by marriage.

Dated

adj

Not correctly deduced.

adj

Not authorized by good usage; not genuine.

adj

Involving the fertilization of pistils by stamens not of their own length, in heterogonously dimorphic and trimorphic flowers.

Example Sentences

"[…] it may be impossible to convince them that the illegitimate power which they obtain, by degrading themselves, is a curse […]"
"The so-called interstellar space […] has not the properties of ordinary space. It will not conduct sound, nor can a human being move through it. It is therefore illegitimate to measure it in miles."
"Our attitude was that, to put it briefly, our presence there [in South Africa] was legal but illegitimate. We had an abstract right to be there, a birthright, but the basis of that right was fraudulent. Our presence was grounded in a crime, namely colonial conquest, perpetuated by apartheid."
"[…] if things went on at this rate it would be doubtful soon whether ever again he would be able to win another election by methods legitimate or illegitimate."
"If we credit the scandal of the former [i.e. his enemies], Artaxerxes sprang from the illegitimate commerce of a tanner’s wife with a common soldier."
"His illegitimate birth deprived him of the influence of a father until perhaps his fifth year […]"

Etymology

First attested in 1536, from Latin illēgitimus, most likely an adapted borrowing of Middle French illegitime, equivalent to il- + legitimate, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3).

Origin

Source language: Latin
First known use: First attested in 1536

Word Breakdown

Root: illēgitimus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: [ɪlɨˈd͡ʒɪɾəmɨt]

Usage

Inflected Forms

more illegitimate (comparative) most illegitimate (superlative) illegitimates (plural) illegitimates (present, singular) illegitimating (participle, present) illegitimated (participle, past) illegitimated (past)

Derived Forms

illegit illegitimacy illegitimately illegitimateness illegitimation illegitimatize illegitimize

Phrases

illegitimate theater illegitimate theatre

Frequently Paired Words

bastard

Synonyms

invalid nonstandard illegal illicit unlawful crimeful criminal illegitimate lawbreaking nonlawful outlawed wrongful

Antonyms

legitimate valid acceptable allowable legit leveful licit permissible rightful rulable true legal

Questions

How do you pronounce illegitimate?: The recorded pronunciation is [ɪlɨˈd͡ʒɪɾəmɨt].
What does illegitimate mean?: Not conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.
Where does illegitimate come from?: It is traced to Latin. First known use: First attested in 1536.

How to pronounce illegitimate

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