illegitimate child
Child without wedlock
A child born to parents who are not married to each other.
The term is largely obsolete in legal contexts, replaced by "child born out of wedlock" or simply dropped as a distinction.
It carries connotations of shame and lesser status that modern usage rejects: In the 19th century, an illegitimate child could not inherit property.
The informal term is bastard.
Offspring of unmarried parents
- bastardChild of unmarried parents
- born out of wedlockHaving unmarried parents
- out-of-wedlockBorn to unmarried parents
- extramaritalOutside the marriage bond
nonmarital · unwed mother · misbegotten · by-blow · baseborn · spurious · foundling · fatherless
Family line of descent
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- family treeChart of ancestors
- descentDownward slope or lineage
pedigree · birthright · inheritance · succession · dynasty · bloodline · forebears · extraction
State of being dad
- biological fatherMale progenitor by blood
- DNA testHereditary material analysis
- geneticsScience of hereditary transmission
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
progenitor · sire · begetter · conception · kinship · offspring · paternal · filiation
Painful awareness of failure
- disgraceLoss of honor
- scandalDisgraceful public affair
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
- ostracismBanishment from a group
prejudice · outcast · alienation · marginalization · disapproval · condemnation · humiliation · ignominy
Being barred from participation
- disownmentRejecting familial ties officially
- estrangementEmotional separation between people
- dispossessionDeprival of property rights
- patrimonyInherited estate or legacy
disavowal · heirship · cut off · passed over · legal status · intestacy
Legal family formation
- foster careSupervised substitute parenting
- orphanageInstitution housing parentless children
- social servicesPublic aid programs
- wardProtected person; division
custody · guardianship · single parent · underprivileged · poverty · dependency · institutional care · abandonment
lovechild
Offspring of unmarried parents
- bastardChild of unmarried parents
- born out of wedlockHaving unmarried parents
- out-of-wedlockBorn to unmarried parents
extramarital · nonmarital · unwed mother · misbegotten · by-blow · baseborn · spurious · foundling · fatherless · unrecognized
ancestry
Family line of descent
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- family treeChart of ancestors
descent · pedigree · birthright · inheritance · succession · dynasty · bloodline · forebears · extraction · origin
fatherhood
State of being dad
- biological fatherMale progenitor by blood
- DNA testHereditary material analysis
- geneticsScience of hereditary transmission
bloodline · progenitor · sire · begetter · conception · kinship · offspring · paternal · filiation · acknowledgment
shame
Painful awareness of failure
ostracism · prejudice · outcast · alienation · marginalization · disapproval · condemnation · humiliation · ignominy · disrepute
exclusion
Being barred from participation
- disownmentRejecting familial ties officially
- estrangementEmotional separation between people
- dispossessionDeprival of property rights
patrimony · disavowal · heirship · cut off · passed over · legal status · intestacy
adoption
Legal family formation
- foster careSupervised substitute parenting
- orphanageInstitution housing parentless children
- social servicesPublic aid programs
ward · custody · guardianship · single parent · underprivileged · poverty · dependency · institutional care · abandonment · workhouse
- family dramafamily bonds, sibling rivalry, family reunion, kinship, family secret
- offspringbaby, son, daughter, kids, kid
- scandalscandal, infamy, disgrace, coverup, cover-up
- illegitimacybastard, bastardy, born out of wedlock
- court intrigueintrigue, plots, schemes, plotting, conspiracy
- heirsheir apparent, heir presumptive, heiress, heirs, inheritor
illegitimate childlegitimate child
Offspring of a marriage
legitimate heir · rightful heir · heir apparent · firstborn son · crown prince
illegitimate, child, illegal, legitimate, legitimacy, legitimize, legitimately, illegitimacy, illegitimately