as in lawfulness
the quality or state of being legal
the legitimacy of the military dictatorship was not recognized by most other nations
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of legitimacy
This week and their response to the win over the Chiefs will go a long way to confirming their legitimacy.
—
Mike Jones, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
The moral legitimacy of a government comes from protecting the conditions under which the mind can function freely, not from trying to replace the mind as a creator of values.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
Led by President Mahmoud Abbas, who succeeded Arafat upon his death two decades ago, the PA's legitimacy has been beset by accusations of corruption, lack of elections and growing violence by Israeli settlers and armed Palestinian factions.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
For the first time since its establishment, question marks are being raised about the very legitimacy of the State of Israel.
—Ehud Barak, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Mike Jones, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
The moral legitimacy of a government comes from protecting the conditions under which the mind can function freely, not from trying to replace the mind as a creator of values.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
Led by President Mahmoud Abbas, who succeeded Arafat upon his death two decades ago, the PA's legitimacy has been beset by accusations of corruption, lack of elections and growing violence by Israeli settlers and armed Palestinian factions.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
For the first time since its establishment, question marks are being raised about the very legitimacy of the State of Israel.
—Ehud Barak, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimacy
Noun
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The administration now plans to seek a full review next term on the lawfulness of the executive order itself.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
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The High Court of Justice in London dismissed claims from the Wikimedia Foundation, which challenged the lawfulness of the categorization system used to determine which sites must comply with obligations.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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For the Mountain West, the logistics of the case seemingly are as challenging as the legalities.—
Jon Wilner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Oct. 2025
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The latest strike is likely to further inflame regional tensions and fuel more questions about the legality of the US operations.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legitimacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimacy. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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