English Dictionary

ILLEGITIMACY

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

 Dictionary entry overview: What does illegitimacy mean? 

ILLEGITIMACY (noun)
  The noun ILLEGITIMACY has 2 senses:

1. the status of being born to parents who were not marriedplay

2. unlawfulness by virtue of not being authorized by or in accordance with lawplay

  Familiarity information: ILLEGITIMACY used as a noun is rare.


 Dictionary entry details 


ILLEGITIMACY (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

The status of being born to parents who were not married

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

bar sinister; bastardy; illegitimacy

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

position; status (the relative position or standing of things or especially persons in a society)


Sense 2

Meaning:

Unlawfulness by virtue of not being authorized by or in accordance with law

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

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

unlawfulness (the quality of failing to conform to law)

Antonym:

legitimacy (lawfulness by virtue of being authorized or in accordance with law)


 Context examples 


The stain of illegitimacy, unbleached by nobility or wealth, would have been a stain indeed.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

A degradation to illegitimacy and ignorance, to be married to a respectable, intelligent gentleman-farmer!

(Emma, by Jane Austen)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"As you make your bed, so you must lie in it." (English proverb)

"A lie's legs are short." (Bulgarian proverb)

"The key to all things is determination." (Arabic proverb)

"Don't sell the fur before shooting the bear." (Danish proverb)



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