legitimacy

noun

le·​git·​i·​ma·​cy li-ˈji-tə-mə-sē 

: the quality or state of being legitimate

Synonyms of legitimacy

• lawfulness
• legality

Examples of legitimacy in a Sentence

the legitimacy of the military dictatorship was not recognized by most other nations

Recent Examples on the Web

Those contentions — and Bartell’s claim of a second list of 17,000 potential noncitizen voters — only add to an already heated debate about the scope of the inquiry and its legitimacy. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Though performance had long been part of English culture, the permanency of the sites in London granted the business of playing new cultural legitimacy and esteem. — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

The number of secretary of state candidates who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 election has declined since the last midterm, from 13 candidates in 2022 to seven in 2026. — Thom Reilly, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026

The late-twentieth-century rise of Islamic states and movements followed an earlier ideological transformation in the opposite direction, as secular projects lost legitimacy and political Islam gained influence. — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for legitimacy

• illegitimacy

Kids Definition

legitimacy

noun

le·​git·​i·​ma·​cy li-ˈjit-ə-mə-sē 

: the quality or state of being legitimate

Legal Definition

legitimacy

noun

le·​git·​i·​ma·​cy li-ˈji-tə-mə-sē 

: the quality or state of being legitimate