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Definition of legitimate
1a : lawfully begotten; specifically : born in wedlockb : having full filial rights and obligations by birth a legitimate child
2 : being exactly as purposed : neither spurious nor false a legitimate grievance a legitimate practitioner
3a : accordant with law or with established legal forms and requirements a legitimate governmentb : ruling by or based on the strict principle of hereditary right a legitimate king
4 : conforming to recognized principles or accepted rules and standards a legitimate advertising expenditure a legitimate inference
5 : relating to plays acted by professional actors but not including revues, burlesque, or some forms of musical comedy the legitimate theater
legitimately
adverbExplore M-W
Examples of legitimate in a Sentence
Law books were getting thicker by the week with Supreme Court decisions barring legitimate claims because they weren't timely filed. —John Grisham, The Chamber, 1995
Even in many courtrooms, where there is valid concern about the privacy of defendants, judges recognize that camera coverage serves a legitimate public interest. —New Republic, 22 Feb. 1993
He was indeed already a legitimate child according to the law of Scotland, by the subsequent marriage of his parents. —Sir Walter Scott, The Heart of Mid-Lothian, 1818
legitimate means for achieving success
the legitimate use of firearms
There's no legitimate reason for prescribing this medication to a child.
Recent Examples of legitimate from the Web
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At Sibanye’s nearby Cooke mine, a recent wildcat strike had the unexpected side-effect of flushing out 461 zama-zamas who were being abetted by legitimate miners.
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While A Hard Day's Night does a great job of laughing at journalists en masse, Spice World one-ups the premise with the introduction of a tabloid owner as a legitimate and singular villain.
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All of this is to say: fear is a legitimate response.
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Everything is designed to look legitimate to entice pet sitters into accepting the job.
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Health-care providers must also balance treatment against legitimate safety concerns.
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The agency is trying to contain an outbreak of dangerous infections by addicts who abuse drugs like Opana ER that are approved for legitimate pain relief.
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Attorneys for Muir and Tucker had denied the government’s claims and said that the CLK-AMG merger was a legitimate business transaction.
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When a team puts together a four-match winning streak, players having found their roles and gotten comfortable in them become legitimate reasons for a turnaround.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'legitimate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of legitimate
Middle English legitimat, from Medieval Latin legitimatus, past participle of legitimare to legitimate, from Latin legitimus legitimate, from leg-, lex law
Synonym Discussion of legitimate
Other Legal Terms
Definition of legitimate
legitimated
;legitimating
transitive verb
: to make (someone or something) legitimate (see 1legitimate):a (1) : to give legal status or authorization to (2) : to show or affirm to be justified (3) : to lend authority or respectability tob : to give (a child born out of wedlock) the same legal status as a child born in wedlock
Examples of legitimate in a Sentence
Poland has ceased being a nation with even a pretense of Communist rule, a rule that is legitimated by Marxist ideology. —Irving Kristol, Wall Street Journal, 11 Jan. 1982
… they are more concerned with the ways in which schools and colleges legitimate and maintain inequality than with the ways they devalue and restrict personal autonomy. —Christopher Jencks, New York Times Book Review, 15 Feb. 1976
Which comes first, the desire to legitimate euthanasia or the nullifying of a distinction between killing and allowing to die? —Daniel Callahan, Commonweal, 2 June 2000
slang words legitimated by usage
Her tendency to be secretive only serves to legitimate their suspicions.
Origin and Etymology of legitimate
see 1legitimate
Other Legal Terms
LEGITIMATE Defined for English Language Learners
legitimate
playDefinition of legitimate for English Language Learners
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: allowed according to rules or laws
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: real, accepted, or official
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: fair or reasonable
legitimate
playDefinition of legitimate for English Language Learners
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: to make (something) real, accepted, or official
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: to show that (something or someone) is fair or reasonable
LEGITIMATE Defined for Kids
Law Dictionary
Legal Definition of legitimate
1 : conceived or born of parents lawfully married to each other or having been made through legal procedure equal in status to one so conceived or born; also : having rights and obligations under the law as the child of such birth
2 : being neither spurious nor false a legitimate grievance
3 : being in accordance with law or with established legal forms and requirements a legitimate government
4 : conforming to recognized principles or accepted rules and standards a legitimate claim of entitlement a legitimate business reason
legitimately
adverbOrigin and Etymology of legitimate
Medieval Latin legitimatus, past participle of legitimare to give legal status to, from Latin legitimus legally sanctioned, from leg-, lex law
Legal Definition of legitimate
legitimated
legitimating
: to make legitimate: as a : to give legal status or authorization to b : to show or affirm to be justified or have merit c : to put (an illegitimate child) in the state of a child born of married parents before the law by legal means — compare filiate
Learn More about legitimate
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for legitimate Spanish Central: Translation of legitimate Nglish: Translation of legitimate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of legitimate for Arabic speakers
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