illegitimate child
Noun: A child born to parents who are not legally married to each other at the time of the child's birth. This term historically refers to a person whose birth occurred outside the bounds of a legally recognized marriage.
The term "illegitimate child" is a dated and often considered offensive legal and social classification. Its use has significantly declined in modern English due to its pejorative connotations. Contemporary legal and common language prefers neutral terms like "child born out of wedlock" or simply refers to the child without reference to parental marital status.
- The old law discriminated against an illegitimate child in matters of inheritance.
- In many historical records, she was listed as an illegitimate child of the nobleman.
- The stigma of being labeled an illegitimate child affected many people in the past.
- Legal Context: In older legal documents and historical contexts, "illegitimate child" was a formal status affecting rights to titles, inheritance, and family name.
- The king's illegitimate child could not inherit the throne.
- Sociological Context: The term is used in sociological or historical analysis to discuss changing family structures and social attitudes.
- The study examined the treatment of illegitimate children in 19th-century society.
- Illegitimacy (noun): The state or condition of being born to unmarried parents.
- The concept of illegitimacy has largely lost its social force.
- Legitimate child (noun): The antonym; a child born to parents who are legally married.
- Non-marital child (noun): A more modern and neutral alternative.
- Child born out of wedlock (noun phrase): The standard contemporary alternative, focusing on the circumstance of birth rather than the child's status.
- Natural child (archaic, euphemistic)
- Love child (colloquial, euphemistic)
- Bastard (archaic, now offensive and vulgar)
It is critically important to note that "illegitimate child" is now widely avoided in everyday language due to its judgmental and stigmatizing nature. When referring to a person, it is appropriate and respectful to simply say "child" or "son/daughter." If the parental marital status at the time of birth is legally or contextually necessary to specify, the phrase "child born out of wedlock" is the accepted neutral term. The archaic synonym "bastard" is considered a highly offensive slur.
- the illegitimate offspring of unmarried parents