legitimate
adjective
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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
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 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
5 : relating to plays acted by professional actors but not including revues, burlesque, or some forms of musical comedy the legitimate theater
legitimate
verb
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Definition of legitimate (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
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Other Words from legitimate
Adjective
Verb
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noun
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noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for legitimate
Synonyms: Adjective
lawful, legal, legit [slang], licit
Antonyms: Adjective
illegal, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, unlawful, wrongful
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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
In a legitimate ad, clicking such a button would close the ad. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Google's Chrome 71 will block 'abusive' ads that trick you into clicking them," 6 Nov. 2018 This is the only way to empower users to decide what collection is legitimate and what isn't. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "Tim Cook calls for strong US privacy law, rips “data-industrial complex”," 24 Oct. 2018 News sites and blogs that are generally considered legitimate (as well as comedians and pranksters) repurpose and edit photos under the protection of Fair Use. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "'Fake News' Is Sparking an AI Arms Race," 18 Sep. 2018 My one requirement: This jazzing could only add a minute or two to my breakfast making routine and had to add some legitimate nutrition to my meal. — Stephanie Eckelkamp, Good Housekeeping, "I Ate 3 Eggs Every Day for a Week — Here’s What I Learned," 13 July 2018 Kennedy voted this week with a 5-4 conservative majority to uphold Trump’s travel ban as a legitimate move to protect national security, rejecting arguments that the president singled out Muslims. — Laura Litvan, Bloomberg.com, "Senate Democrats Have Little Chance to Delay Trump’s Court Pick," 28 June 2018 Going online opens up a host of work-from-home opportunities, but the trick is knowing which businesses are legitimate and which ones aren't. — Mary Hunt, Woman's Day, "8 Easy Ways to Make Money Online," 12 June 2018 Trump's intervention appeared to go beyond his already intense anger about the Mueller probe, his hypersensitivity to suggestions his election win was not legitimate, and the efforts to tarnish Mueller. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, "Trump unleashes new political earthquake with FBI spy charge," 21 May 2018 Some robocalls are legitimate—your pharmacy, your bank—but not the ones that change numbers constantly to appear local and avoid detection. — Katherine Bindley, WSJ, "Why Are There So Many Robocalls? Here’s What You Can Do About Them," 4 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The coupon follows similar format to legitimate Kroger coupons, with an expiration date of August 30 and a barcode. — Holly Shively, ajc, "$250 Kroger coupon circulating on social media a fake; company warns don’t click on it," 9 July 2018 The Tigers impressive week to them from on the bubble of even making the tournament to legitimate contention for a No. 2 seed. — Brody Miller, NOLA.com, "LSU's SEC Tournament run ends in championship loss to Ole Miss," 27 May 2018 Now, as the technology expands from a fringe hacker toy to legitimate business applications, opportunists have flooded the field. — Erin Griffith, WIRED, "187 Things the Blockchain Is Supposed to Fix," 25 May 2018 At the moment, the pressing issue is how the Padres propose to jump from non-factor to legitimate contender. — Dennis Lin, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres extend A.J. Preller through 2022," 3 Dec. 2017 By legitimating ethno-national passions, intellectuals created and unleashed them. — William A. Galston, WSJ, "Macron’s Democratic Vision," 24 Apr. 2018 The North Korean ruler will get an early bonus just by meeting as an equal with Mr. Trump, which legitimates Mr. Kim’s rule. — Robert B. Zoellick, WSJ, "10 Tips for Negotiating With Kim Jong Un," 27 Mar. 2018 Perhaps there should be apologies and reparative action from the publishers that printed, promoted, circulated, and profited from materials that served to legitimate Jim Crow and racist domestic terrorism. — Alfred Brophy, Fortune, "Commentary: Why Haven’t Publishers Apologized for Their Books That Glorify Slavery?," 2 Feb. 2018 But such a failure would probably, nonetheless, help to legitimate his existing efforts to undermine liberal norms and consolidate his influence over federal law enforcement, at least to his fellow members of the Republican Party. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "The President Seems to Think a Second 9/11 Would Have Its Upsides," 30 Jan. 2018These 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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
Other Words from legitimate
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noun
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