illegitimate
/ˌɪləˈdʒɪtəmət/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪləˈdʒɪtəmət/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌi-li-ˈji-tə-mət/ (ame, mw)
illegitimate — 形容詞
- illegitimatepositive
- more illegitimatecomparative
- most illegitimatesuperlative
1. not allowed or accepted by the law, or not considered fair or morally right acco
不合法；不正當
法律不允許或不公平的
not allowed or accepted by the law, or not considered fair or morally right according to accepted standards
The court declared the new regulation illegitimate because it violated basic rights.
法院宣布這項新規定不合法，因為它違反了基本權利。
passive: be declared illegitimate; used in legal judgments
Liam considered the committee's decision illegitimate since it ignored the voting rules.
Liam 認為委員會的決定不正當，因為它無視了投票規則。
A government that comes to power through violence is often seen as illegitimate.
透過暴力上台的政府，通常被視為不具正當性。
Many voters believed the election was illegitimate because of widespread cheating.
許多選民認為這場選舉不合法，原因是普遍存在的舞弊行為。
It is illegitimate for a public official to use their position for personal profit.
公職人員利用職位謀取個人利益是不正當的。
- illegal
more direct and common; focuses purely on breaking the law
- unlawful
similar formality; mostly used in legal writing and court contexts
- improper
broader; covers actions that are socially or ethically wrong without necessarily being illegal
- illicit
describes secret or forbidden activities, often with moral overtones
- legitimate
the direct opposite in both legal and ethical senses
- legal
specifically opposite in the legal sense; allowed by the law
- proper
opposite in the ethical sense; appropriate and fair
用法筆記
More formal than 'illegal.' Often used to question the moral authority or fairness of a law, practice, or institution, rather than just its technical legality. Common in political criticism and institutional commentary.
常見錯誤
2. used to describe a child whose parents were not married at the time of the birth
非婚生
父母未結婚所生的孩子
used to describe a child whose parents were not married at the time of the birth — a term now widely considered old-fashioned and potentially offensive in modern contexts
In the past, an illegitimate child had few legal rights and could not inherit property.
法院宣布這項新規定不合法，因為它違反了基本權利。
historical/legal context; often found in older legal documents
The old family documents described Wei's great-grandmother as an illegitimate daughter.
Liam 認為委員會的決定不正當，因為它無視了投票規則。
passive construction: be described as illegitimate
Many countries have stopped using the term 'illegitimate' in their official birth records.
透過暴力上台的政府，通常被視為不具正當性。
The novel follows an illegitimate son who travels to Paris to claim his father's estate.
許多選民認為這場選舉不合法，原因是普遍存在的舞弊行為。
- born out of wedlock
more formal and equally dated; used mostly in legal-historical writing
- non-marital
modern neutral term preferred in contemporary legal and academic contexts
- legitimate
the direct opposite; a child born to parents who are married to each other
用法筆記
This sense is increasingly viewed as outdated and potentially stigmatizing. Modern legal and social writing prefers neutral terms such as 'born to unmarried parents' or 'non-marital child.' Use only in historical contexts or when quoting older laws and documents.