illegitimately
2
6.8
- adverb
- /ˌɪlɪˈdʒɪtəmətli/
- Formal
:
ilegalmente
- The company was fined for operating illegitimately without the proper licenses.
Examples
-
He was accused of illegitimately accessing confidential documents to gain an unfair advantage.
-
Many believe that the law was applied illegitimately in order to suppress dissent.
-
So suppose I own something which you illegitimately take from me.
-
All the crimes that have been perpetrated against the Palestinian people are being done in our name, illegitimately.
Blog text (28) -
So the U.S. didn't like the Mullahs since day one when they illegitimately took power in 1979.
Blog text (21) -
People are still bragging about the amount of illegitimately copied music and videos they download by the hundreds of gigabytes every day.
Blog text (32) -
The rulers of several major Arab nations have accused the Muslim Brotherhood of ambitions to seize power illegitimately.
Blog text (9) -
They alleged that a cabal of magistrates put Comes in office illegitimately after displacing the real constable.
Academic text (1990) -
The presence of these barriers to democracy in a society usually reveals the presence of pernicious domination, which occurs when groups of higher status illegitimately magnify their own already considerable power at the expense of others.
Academic text (2005) -
Domestically, however, these leaders' legitimacy is derived primarily from the barrel of the gun, for they have illegitimately circumvented the traditional clan leadership (elders).
Academic text (1993)
Synonyms
31
6.5
In a way that breaks the law
24
4.6
In a way that is unfair or against the law
14
4.3
In a way that breaks the law
2
6.8
In a way that breaks the law or rules
1
8.1
In a way that rules or the law do not allow
Antonyms
How Legal
- Formal
39
2.5
421
2.8
49
3.4
24
4.6
- Formal
2
6.8
- Formal
14
4.3
31
6.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
illegitimately = illegitimate (transparent) = il + legitimate + ly
The negative prefix 'il-' negates 'legitimate' and '-ly' forms an adverb; the sense 'unlawfully/improperly' is directly derived and predictable.
Etymology
Illegitimately comes from the prefix il- meaning 'not' and the root legal meaning 'law' or 'lawful'. So it describes actions done 'not according to the law' or 'in an improper, unlawful way'.