What does bastardly mean?
Bastardly is a rare English adjective describing something connected with illegitimate birth or bearing the qualities traditionally — and pejoratively — associated with it. In historical and literary contexts it appears in phrases like 'a bastardly son,' referring to a child born outside marriage, and by extension it came to describe anything irregular, spurious, or of debased origin, such as a counterfeit text or a dubious claim. The word derives from 'bastard,' itself rooted in medieval Latin and Old French, and belongs to a family including 'bastardy' and 'bastardize.' Because of the long social stigma surrounding illegitimacy, the term carries strongly negative connotations and today sounds distinctly archaic; modern writers usually prefer 'illegitimate' or more neutral language. Its most common contemporary role may be accidental: it is frequently confused with 'dastardly,' which means cowardly and treacherous — a mix-up worth knowing about, since the two words share little beyond their shape and rhythm.
adjectiveOf, relating to, or characteristic of a person of illegitimate birth; by extension, having the qualities popularly (and pejoratively) attributed to such a person — irregular, spurious, or of debased origin.
- Relating to or characteristic of illegitimate birth (now rare and largely historical).
- Spurious, irregular, or of debased or questionable origin.
"The chronicler noted, with cold precision, the king's bastardly offspring and their contested claims to the throne."
"Medieval genealogies meticulously recorded which heirs were legitimate and which were bastardly."
"Critics dismissed the forged manuscript as a bastardly imitation of the original chronicle."
Bastardly is so often mistaken for its sound-alike 'dastardly' that many people have gone years using one while believing they were using the other.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bastardly
Bastardly derives from 'bastard,' a word that entered Middle English from Old French 'bastard,' ultimately from medieval Latin 'bastardus.' The exact prehistory is debated — one traditional account links it to 'fils de bast' ('son of a packsaddle,' i.e., a child conceived on the road), though this is uncertain. The adjective formed with the common '-ly' suffix, and it has been used since at least the early modern period to denote both illegitimate birth and figurative spuriousness. Its Romance cousins include French 'bâtard' and Spanish 'bastardo.'
Related word forms
How bastardly is actually used
Bastardly is now rare and largely historical or literary; it carries strong negative connotations inherited from centuries of stigma attached to illegitimacy. It should be used with care, as it can read as archaic or offensive. In modern writing, terms like 'illegitimate' or neutral phrasing are generally preferred.
Easily confused with bastardly
Dastardly means cowardly and treacherous, while bastardly relates to illegitimate birth or spurious origin — the two look similar but mean entirely different things.