adjective
illegitimate
ih-lih-JIH-tih-muht
adjective
1
Not legally or officially sanctioned; not proper or authorised.
"The opposition called the election result illegitimate."
"They questioned the illegitimate use of company funds."
2
Dated: born to parents who were not married to each other.
"In earlier centuries, an illegitimate child could be denied inheritance rights."
How to Use Illegitimate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishNot legitimate — lacking legal or official standing, or (in older usage) born outside marriage.
Common pairings
illegitimate claim
illegitimate authority
illegitimate use
Word Forms
more illegitimate comparative, illegitimated past tense, illegitimates plural, illegitimates singular, most illegitimate superlative
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Etymology
From Latin illegitimus, formed from in- ("not") plus legitimus ("lawful"), likely via Middle French illegitime.