Meanings
plural illegitimacies
- countableuncountableThe state of being illegitimate.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe state of being born to parents who were not legally married to each other.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe status of being born to parents who were not married
noununlawfulness by virtue of not being authorized by or in accordance with law
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From illegitimate + -cy; may also be analyzed as il- + legitimacy.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan il·legitimitat
- il·legitimitatbeing illegitimate
French illégitimité
- illégitimitébeing illegitimate
German Unrechtmäßigkeit
- Unrechtmäßigkeitbeing illegitimate
Hindi दोग़लापन
- दोग़लापन (doġlāpan)being illegitimate
Irish neamhdhlisteanacht
- neamhdhlisteanachtbeing illegitimate
Italian illegittimità
- illegittimitàbeing illegitimate
Portuguese ilegitimidade
- ilegitimidadebeing illegitimate
Russian незако́нность
- незако́нность (nezakónnostʹ)being illegitimate
Swedish illegitimitet
- illegitimitetbeing illegitimate
Cite this entry
illegitimacy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illegitimacy
“illegitimacy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illegitimacy. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “illegitimacy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/illegitimacy.
Source: illegitimacy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.