Illegitimate
/ˌɪlɪˈdʒɪtəmɪt/
adjectiveC1
Definition
Illegitimate describes something that is not legal or not officially accepted by the rules. It can refer to actions, claims, or children who are born outside of marriage and not legally recognized by their parents. The word often carries a negative meaning about being improper or wrong according to law or social rules.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
Not allowed by law or official rules
- •The court rejected the illegitimate claim to the property.
- •Using illegitimate means to win the game is unfair.
- •The company was accused of illegitimate business practices.
A child born to parents who are not married
- •In the past, illegitimate children had fewer rights in many countries.
- •She was called illegitimate because her parents were not married.
- •Laws about illegitimate children have changed to give them equal rights.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "illegitimate" like "wrong" or "not allowed," but stronger because it means something breaks official rules or laws.
- ✓Picture a child standing outside a house with a "no entry" sign—this shows the child is not officially accepted inside the family by law.
- ✓It's the feeling when you see someone doing something that is not right according to rules, like cheating or breaking laws.
- ✓Sounds like "ill-LEG-it-uh-mit" → imagine "ill" meaning bad or wrong, and "legit" meaning real or allowed, so "illegitimate" means not real or not allowed.
- ✓Think of stories or movies where a character is called illegitimate because their birth is secret or not accepted by the family.
- ✓NOT like "legal" (allowed by law), "illegitimate" means the opposite—not allowed or not recognized by law.
- ✓NOT like "untrue" (false information), "illegitimate" refers to legality or social acceptance, not just truth.
- ✓NOT like "illicit" (illegal, forbidden), "illegitimate" can be more about not being recognized or accepted, not always about crime.
Try Other Words
- •Illegal: not allowed by law (Use when focusing on breaking laws, especially crimes)
- •Unauthorized: not officially allowed or approved (Use when something is not given permission)
- •Invalid: not legally or officially acceptable (Use when something is not valid or recognized)
- •Illicit: forbidden by law or rules (Use when focusing on secret or illegal actions)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: prefix "il-" (not) + root "legitimate" (allowed by law or rules)
- •Etymology: From Latin "legitimus" meaning lawful or according to law, with "il-" prefix meaning not
- •Historical development: Originally used to describe children born outside marriage; later extended to other illegal or improper things
- •Modern usage: Used for anything not lawful, proper, or accepted by official rules or social norms
- •Key insight: The word always means "not allowed" or "not proper" according to law or social standards
Reflect & Connect
•How do social and legal ideas about what is illegitimate change over time and between cultures?
•Can something be considered illegitimate in one situation but accepted in another? How does context affect this?
Fill in the blanks
1.The court declared the contract illegitimate because it did not follow the ___ rules.
2.An illegitimate child in history often faced ___ treatment compared to children born to married parents.
3.Unlike legal claims, illegitimate claims are usually ___ by the law.
4.They tried to hide the illegitimate nature of their relationship because of social ___.
5.Illegitimate actions often cause problems because they break ___ or accepted standards.
6.When a business uses illegitimate methods, it risks losing ___ and trust.
7.The term illegitimate is different from illegal because it focuses on ___ acceptance, not only law breaking.