legitimate

le·git·i·mate | \ li-ˈji-tə-mət

Definition of legitimate

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : lawfully begotten specifically : born in wedlock

b : having full filial rights and obligations by birth a legitimate child

2a : being exactly as intended or presented : neither spurious nor false a legitimate grievance a legitimate claim a legitimate practitioner " … we are pretty good at separating legitimate pain from drug-seeking behavior. … "— Kenneth W. Fogelberg also : being an actual example of something specified a legitimate threat to national security

b : genuinely good, impressive, or capable of success And if he can fix his start … he is a legitimate contender for gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.— Sean Ingle

3a : accordant with law or with established legal forms and requirements a legitimate government

b : 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 also : fair or reasonable : valid She raised some legitimate concerns.

5 : relating to plays acted by professional actors but not including revues, burlesque, or some forms of musical comedy the legitimate theater

legitimate

verb

le·git·i·mate | \ li-ˈji-tə-ˌmāt

legitimated; legitimating

Definition of legitimate (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to make (someone or something) legitimate (see legitimate entry 1):

a(1) : to give legal status or authorization to

(2) : to show or affirm to be justified

(3) : to lend authority or respectability to

b : to give (a child born out of wedlock) the same legal status as a child born in wedlock

Other Words from legitimate Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about legitimate

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for legitimate

Adjective

lawful, legal, legitimate, licit mean being in accordance with law. lawful may apply to conformity with law of any sort (such as natural, divine, common, or canon). the lawful sovereign legal applies to what is sanctioned by law or in conformity with the law, especially as it is written or administered by the courts. legal residents of the state legitimate may apply to a legal right or status but also, in extended use, to a right or status supported by tradition, custom, or accepted standards. a perfectly legitimate question about taxes licit applies to a strict conformity to the provisions of the law and applies especially to what is regulated by law. the licit use of drugs by doctors

Examples of legitimate in a Sentence

Adjective 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. Verb 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 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 slang words legitimated by usage Her tendency to be secretive only serves to legitimate their suspicions.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective And a Krios is expensive for legitimate reasons, including the gear that accelerates electrons to energies of 300 kiloelectronvolts (keV). — Eric Hand, Science | AAAS, "‘We need a people’s cryo-EM.’ Scientists hope to bring revolutionary microscope to the masses," 23 Jan. 2020 Those are the schools that have a legitimate shot at winning a title. — Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, "College football is broken and shows no signs of being fixed," 17 Jan. 2020 Some people might be indifferent or simply not care, but many who forgo voting have legitimate reasons. — Andrew Joseph Pegoda, The Conversation, "I asked people why they don’t vote, and this is what they told me," 17 Jan. 2020 Zarif would not tell Palmer what constituted, in the minds of Iran's leaders, a legitimate target, nor when Iran would launch its retaliation. — CBS News, "Iran says U.S. bears blame for Iranian forces shooting down plane," 15 Jan. 2020 Esper acknowledged that striking cultural sites with no military value would be a war crime, putting him at odds with the president, who insisted such places would be legitimate targets. — Peter Bakerand Maggie Haberman, BostonGlobe.com, "Contradicting Trump, Pentagon rules out bombing Iran’s cultural sites," 6 Jan. 2020 Gross-score guesses, from experts and everyday hunters alike, ranged from 220 to 240 inches B&C. Many believed the monster had a legitimate shot at toppling Milo Hanson’s longstanding typical whitetail world-record. — The Editors, Field & Stream, "The 20 Best Bucks of the Decade," 27 Dec. 2019 These witnesses likely will confirm that President Trump had legitimate reasons to suspect Ukrainian corruption, political and otherwise. — Deroy Murdock, National Review, "The Case for a Full Senate Trial," 22 Dec. 2019 To the contrary, the inspector general concluded that the FBI had legitimate reasons to investigate Russian efforts to meddle in the 2016 election. — Doyle Mcmanus, Twin Cities, "Doyle McManus: The FBI gets another black eye," 13 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Colorado residents who have complained for years about health effects said the study’s findings legitimate their concerns. — Bruce Finley, The Denver Post, "Colorado to tighten oversight of oil and gas sites near homes in wake of study finding possible short-term health effects," 17 Oct. 2019 Part of the explanation lies in Zevin’s sociology of élites, in which liberalism emerges as a self-legitimating ideology of a rich, powerful, and networked ruling class. — Pankaj Mishra, The New Yorker, "Liberalism According to The Economist," 4 Nov. 2019 This both legitimates the content of some of these users’ tweets—this isn’t just some random account talking—and allows them to amplify and elevate narratives in distinctly old-fashioned ways. — Nathaniel Friedman, The New Republic, "Moments Without Truth," 21 Oct. 2019 The church legitimated the colonial confiscation of lands occupied by indigenous peoples and its missionaries often suppressed indigenous cultures and religions. — Vincent J. Miller, The Conversation, "Pope affirms Catholic Church’s duty to indigenous Amazonians hurt by climate change," 18 Oct. 2019 The White Man’s Burden,’ and a plethora of other work that sought to legitimate the British empir[e] … and dehumanise people of colour. — Maya Jasanoff, The New Republic, "Rudyard Kipling, American Imperialist," 22 Aug. 2019 As a woman, Doris Lee’s participation legitimated the campaign. — Melissa Hendrickson, Smithsonian, "How American Brewers Employed Fine Art to Sell Beer," 6 Aug. 2019 The ideologies and organization of the public schools are legitimated by the promise that America takes care of the poor and allows them to do better. — Titus Techera, National Review, "A Teacher Confronts Reality," 26 June 2019 In other instances, however, China uses international institutions to legitimate its own interests. — Elizabeth Economy, WSJ, "Xi Jinping’s Superpower Plans," 19 July 2018

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about legitimate

Dictionary Entries near legitimate

Statistics for legitimate

Last Updated

7 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Legitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legitimate. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for legitimate

legitimate

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of legitimate

(Entry 1 of 2)

: allowed according to rules or laws

: real, accepted, or official

: fair or reasonable

legitimate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of legitimate (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make (something) real, accepted, or official

: to show that (something or someone) is fair or reasonable

See the full definition for legitimate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

legitimate

adjective

le·git·i·mate | \ li-ˈji-tə-mət

Kids Definition of legitimate

1 : accepted by the law as rightful : lawful a legitimate heir

2 : being right or acceptable a legitimate excuse

legitimate

adjective

le·git·i·mate | \ lə-ˈji-tə-mət

Legal Definition of legitimate

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

legitimate

transitive verb

le·git·i·mate | \ lə-ˈji-tə-ˌmāt

legitimated; legitimating

Legal Definition of legitimate (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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