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

Leonardo da Vinci—whose very name indicates he’s from a place, rather than of a person—was one such bastard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 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

Joffrey awarded him the lands, castle, and rights of'House Darry, whose last child lord had perished during the fighting in the riverlands, "leaving no truebom heirs of lawful Darry blood, but only a bastard cousin."

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin