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

The other kind of steroids are the potent inflammation fighters widely and legitimately used to treat dozens of illnesses.

—Paul G. Donohue

… several objections to their book can legitimately be raised.

—Christopher Lehmann-Haupt

Examples of legitimately in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Parents understandably want to contact their children, and teachers sometimes legitimately use phones for classroom activities. — Paul Jester, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026

As the judgment clearly shows, every single article was legitimately sourced. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 7 July 2026

As the judgement clearly shows, every single article was legitimately sourced. — ABC News, 7 July 2026

Many of these tools are legitimately transformative and exciting. — James Loffler, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above