Synonyms of illegitimate
55 similar words · 31 opposite words
Another word for illegitimate is criminal. Other synonyms of illegitimate are illegal, unlawful, outlawed, extramarital and wrongful. The opposite of illegitimate is legitimate.
Synonyms and similar words for illegitimate
adjectiveNot conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.
adjectiveNot in accordance with the law.
- illegalContrary to, forbidden, or not authorized by law, especially criminal law.
- illicitUnlawful.
- unlawfulProhibited; not permitted by law (either civil or criminal law; see illegal).
- crimefulCriminal; wicked; illegal.
- criminalAgainst the law; forbidden by law.
- lawbreakingUnlawful; illegal.
- nonlawfulNot lawful; unlawful.
- outlawedPut beyond the limits of the law, forbidden, against the law.
- wrongfulUnlawful or illegal.
adjectiveBorn to unmarried parents.
- naturalRelated genetically but not legally to one's father; born out of wedlock, illegitimate.
adjectiveNot correctly deduced.
- illogicalContrary to logic; lacking sense or sound reasoning.
adjectiveNot authorized by good usage; not genuine.
- bogusCounterfeit or fake; not genuine.
- ingenuineFalse, not genuine or unauthentic.
- spuriousBastardly, illegitimate.
- artificial
- badFalse; counterfeit; illegitimate.
- bollocks
- concoctedInvented, made up.
- counterfeit
- ersatzAn inauthentic or inadequate substitute or imitation.
- fabricated
- false
- falsifiedDemonstrated to be false.
- fake
- fauxFake or artificial.
- feignedBeing a pretense, simulation, or counterfeit, or something false or fraudulent.
- forged
- fraudulent
- mockImitation, not genuine; fake.
- phoney
- phony-baloneyFake; fraudulent.
- phonyFraudulent; fake; having a misleading appearance.
- phony as a three-dollar billExtremely phony; fake; dishonest; completely bogus.
- pseudo
- put-upSecretly arranged in advance, especially in order to defraud someone or to advance one's own interests.
- said to be
- sham
- synthetic
- unauthenticNot authentic; inauthentic.
- unreal
- trumped-upFaked, fabricated or falsely manufactured.
nounA person born to unmarried parents.
- natural childAn illegitimate child, a child born to unmarried parents.
- lovechild
- bastardA person who was born out of wedlock, and hence often considered an illegitimate descendant.
adjectiveMore synonyms
- baseOf illegitimate birth; bastard.
- basebornBastard, illegitimate.
- base born
- bastardlyHaving been born out of marriage.
- extramaritalOccurring outside marriage.
- misbegottenBorn out of wedlock; illegitimate.
- namelessIllegitimate.
- unwantedNot wanted; unwelcome.
- degenerate
Opposite of illegitimate
adjectiveNot conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.
- legitimateIn accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements.
- valid
- acceptable
- allowable
- legit
- licit
- permissible
- rightfulBy right; by law.
- rulable
- true
- leveful obsoleteAllowable; permissible; lawful.
adjectiveNot in accordance with the law.
adjectiveBorn to unmarried parents.
- truebornGenuinely by birth; legitimate.
adjectiveNot correctly deduced.
adjectiveNot authorized by good usage; not genuine.
- bona fide
- actual
- authentic
- genuine
- lubish
- non-fake
- pukka
- real
- sterling
- unadulterated
- uncounterfeitedNot counterfeited; genuine.
- undissembledNot dissimulated or feigned; genuine, unfaked.
- unfakedNot faked.
- unfeigned
- veritable
Meaning of illegitimate
- adjective Not conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.
- adjective Not in accordance with the law.
- adjective Not sanctioned by marriage.
illegitimate in other languages
Questions about synonyms of illegitimate
- What is another word for illegitimate?
- Illegitimate has 55 synonyms on Word.ws, such as criminal, illegal, unlawful, outlawed, extramarital, wrongful, misbegotten and illicit.
- What is the opposite of illegitimate?
- The opposite of illegitimate is legitimate. Other antonyms of illegitimate are lawful, rightful and true.
- What does illegitimate mean?
- Illegitimate means not conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: illegitimate (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this page: “Synonyms of illegitimate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/illegitimate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.