legitimately
adverb
le·git·i·mate·ly
li-ˈji-tə-mət-lē 
: in a legitimate manner : according to what is lawful, permitted, appropriate, or reasonable
money earned legitimately [=legally]
a question that can be legitimately asked
… objects of ritual significance that were common tribal property seldom if ever could have come legitimately into nontribal hands.—
Robert McC. Adams
Robert McC. AdamsThe other kind of steroids are the potent inflammation fighters widely and legitimately used to treat dozens of illnesses.—Paul G. Donohue
Paul G. Donohue… several objections to their book can legitimately be raised.—Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
Christopher Lehmann-HauptExamples of legitimately in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even with Biden’s action, people who legitimately fear being tortured or persecuted in their home country can still seek protection in the United States and will be screened by U.S. asylum officers, but with more scrutiny than before.
—Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 12 June 2024
The restrictions will not apply to minors who cross the border alone and a small number of people who legitimately fear being tortured or persecuted in their home country, officials said.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 4 June 2024
Tonight, there were two legitimately good performances, one surprisingly okay one, some meh at varying degrees, and two tragedies.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2024
The West, now, can legitimately be accused of double standards and hypocrisy in its attitude toward foreign occupation and attacks on civilians in Ukraine and Palestine.
—Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2023
In the world of gravitational wave research – in which impossibly huge detection devices (more on that in a bit) are used to track celestial events in the way Richter scales track earthquakes – Cal State Fullerton is a legitimately big player.
—Andre Mouchard, Orange County Register, 19 May 2024
The key to moving forward may involve getting clear about what’s legitimately your story to tell.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2024
That committee also passed a resolution in 2022 claiming that President Biden was not legitimately elected.
—Madeleine May, CBS News, 14 May 2024
With Rolex’s decidedly rugged, adventure-ready timepieces—which stood in stark contrast to what most watch brands were producing at the time—Wilsdorf could legitimately equip explorers and daredevils with expedition-ready timepieces.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 11 May 2024
Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 12 June 2024
The restrictions will not apply to minors who cross the border alone and a small number of people who legitimately fear being tortured or persecuted in their home country, officials said.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 4 June 2024
Tonight, there were two legitimately good performances, one surprisingly okay one, some meh at varying degrees, and two tragedies.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2024
The West, now, can legitimately be accused of double standards and hypocrisy in its attitude toward foreign occupation and attacks on civilians in Ukraine and Palestine.
—Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2023
In the world of gravitational wave research – in which impossibly huge detection devices (more on that in a bit) are used to track celestial events in the way Richter scales track earthquakes – Cal State Fullerton is a legitimately big player.
—Andre Mouchard, Orange County Register, 19 May 2024
The key to moving forward may involve getting clear about what’s legitimately your story to tell.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2024
That committee also passed a resolution in 2022 claiming that President Biden was not legitimately elected.
—Madeleine May, CBS News, 14 May 2024
With Rolex’s decidedly rugged, adventure-ready timepieces—which stood in stark contrast to what most watch brands were producing at the time—Wilsdorf could legitimately equip explorers and daredevils with expedition-ready timepieces.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 11 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legitimately.' 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 legitimately
Cite this Entry
“Legitimately.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legitimately. Accessed 17 Jun. 2024.
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