ILLEGITIMATE


Meaning of ILLEGITIMATE in English

il ‧ le ‧ git ‧ i ‧ mate /ˌɪləˈdʒɪtəmət◂, ˌɪlɪˈdʒɪtəmət◂/ BrE AmE adjective

1 . born to parents who are not married OPP legitimate :

his illegitimate son

2 . not allowed or acceptable according to rules or agreements OPP legitimate :

a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate trade

—illegitimately adverb

—illegitimacy noun [uncountable]

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THESAURUS

▪ illegal forbidden by law:

It is illegal to sell tobacco to children under 16.

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illegal immigrants

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He was carrying an illegal weapon.

▪ be against the law to be illegal. This phrase is very commonly used in everyday English, instead of saying that something is illegal :

Driving a car without insurance is against the law.

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It’s against the law to hit a child.

▪ unlawful illegal - a rather formal word, which is used especially when this particular action is considered to be illegal, although there are some situations where such actions can be legal:

The judges said that the strike was unlawful.

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The money was obtained by unlawful means.

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a verdict of unlawful killing

▪ illicit illicit activities or goods are illegal and usually kept secret:

Marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States.

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the illicit trade in stolen cattle

▪ illegitimate not allowed or acceptable according to rules or agreements:

the illegitimate use of power

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The election results were declared to be illegitimate.

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illegitimate share trading

▪ unconstitutional not allowed by a country’s ↑ constitution (=set of rules and principles by which a country is governed) :

The court ruled that the new law was unconstitutional.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.