legitimize
verb
le·git·i·mize
li-ˈji-tə-ˌmīz 
legitimized; legitimizing
: to make legitimate : legitimate
Examples of legitimize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The vote was orchestrated to legitimize his leadership after a crackdown on dissent that has left his rivals dead, jailed or in exile as his war in neighboring Ukraine enters its third year.
—
Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024
Pictures of a mother clutching her baby, a young family cowering in a bomb shelter, and heroic Russian soldiers recall images of World War II, which Russian propagandists routinely use to legitimize the current conflict.
—Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Implying that the United States and Taiwan must shoulder the onus of assurance serves only to legitimize China’s preferred narrative that Beijing is blameless while others are responsible for damaging cross-strait relations.
—Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
The way Mellon explains it, the pivotal New York Times story that is largely credited with helping legitimize UFOs within the broader culture never would have happened without his direct involvement.
—Lucas Ropek / Gizmodo, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Does the murder of 1,200 Israelis legitimize Hamas’s obliteration?
To remind the world what Israel must fight against — on behalf of innocent Israelis and Palestinians — Israeli women have undertaken a grueling job in the past months.
—Haley Strack, National Review, 1 Mar. 2024
That entity would need to be legitimized by a UN Security Council resolution and would oversee the gradual assumption of responsibility by the PA.
—Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Mexico’s leaders have long tried to control the historical narrative to legitimize their rule — from the Mexican-American War of the 1840s to the Revolution starting in 1910.
—Luis Antonio Rojas, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024
The United States began warning that Iran might transfer drones to Russia in July 2022 and still negotiated a deal that would subsidize and potentially legitimize those transfers for another two months.
—Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024
Pictures of a mother clutching her baby, a young family cowering in a bomb shelter, and heroic Russian soldiers recall images of World War II, which Russian propagandists routinely use to legitimize the current conflict.
—Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Implying that the United States and Taiwan must shoulder the onus of assurance serves only to legitimize China’s preferred narrative that Beijing is blameless while others are responsible for damaging cross-strait relations.
—Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
The way Mellon explains it, the pivotal New York Times story that is largely credited with helping legitimize UFOs within the broader culture never would have happened without his direct involvement.
—Lucas Ropek / Gizmodo, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Does the murder of 1,200 Israelis legitimize Hamas’s obliteration?
To remind the world what Israel must fight against — on behalf of innocent Israelis and Palestinians — Israeli women have undertaken a grueling job in the past months.
—Haley Strack, National Review, 1 Mar. 2024
That entity would need to be legitimized by a UN Security Council resolution and would oversee the gradual assumption of responsibility by the PA.
—Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Mexico’s leaders have long tried to control the historical narrative to legitimize their rule — from the Mexican-American War of the 1840s to the Revolution starting in 1910.
—Luis Antonio Rojas, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024
The United States began warning that Iran might transfer drones to Russia in July 2022 and still negotiated a deal that would subsidize and potentially legitimize those transfers for another two months.
—Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legitimize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near legitimize
Cite this Entry
“Legitimize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legitimize. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
legitimize
transitive verb
le·git·i·mize
lə-ˈji-tə-ˌmīz
legitimized; legitimizing
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share