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

Elections Alberta quickly investigated and announced that the list used by Centurion was a copy of one legitimately released to the Republican Party of Alberta. —Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 4 May 2026

His skill level, offensive hockey sense and puck play are all legitimately elite. —Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 4 May 2026

The bullpen management has, on the whole, been a net positive, but there have been some legitimately curious decisions. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 1 May 2026

If the debt remains legitimately unresolved, re-enrolling in a debt relief program may be worth considering. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above