bastard

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It had bastard status among classical culturati from the get-go, which kept it out of the concert halls where it arguably belonged as a rightful heir to other long-form orchestral music.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026

Ironically, the situation now is a bastard version of one reform favored by free market types: paying athletes without any pretense that they are real students.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

Gov't Mule is kind of the bastard child of the jam scene – the black sheep – because we're heavier than other jam bands.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2023

“The celebrity profile is the bastard stepchild of journalism, and I’m embarrassed sometimes to be associated with it,” he told Chicago magazine in 1996.

From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2023

Even a bastard could rise high in the Night's Watch, they said.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin