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
Robert McC. AdamsThe other kind of steroids are the potent inflammation fighters widely and legitimately used to treat dozens of illnesses.—Paul G. Donohue
Paul G. Donohue… several objections to their book can legitimately be raised.—Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
Examples of legitimately in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even if Navarro had proof that Trump asserted executive privilege, the question of whether a former president can legitimately invoke the privilege, and under what circumstances, is subject to debate.
—Paul Duggan, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2023
The agency said those firms had undergone successful checks by authorities to ensure their products were being used legitimately.
—Michelle Toh, CNN, 28 Aug. 2023
There is evidence that his lies are resonating: New polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 57% of Republicans believe Democrat Joe Biden was not legitimately elected as president.
—Robert Yoon, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Aug. 2023
There’s even a 19th-century North American art form called punch needle that curious types can try at Crafted at Appellation, where classes led by local designers are paired with premium wine and legitimately delicious bites (Chef Charlie Palmer is Appellation’s co-founder, after all).
—Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2023
First, determine if the cameras were legitimately installed.
—Jill Terreri Ramos, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2023
Nearly six in 10 Republicans surveyed Aug. 10-14 in an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll said Joe Biden was not legitimately elected.
—Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 21 Aug. 2023
The same poll finding that 57 percent of Republicans don’t believe Biden was legitimately elected also found that 7 out of 10 Americans overall saw his election as valid.
—Nicholas Riccardi and David Klepper, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Aug. 2023
Pugh – with her electric hair and septum piercing – knows that protesting for progress is legitimately punk.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2023
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Paul Duggan, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2023
The agency said those firms had undergone successful checks by authorities to ensure their products were being used legitimately.
—Michelle Toh, CNN, 28 Aug. 2023
There is evidence that his lies are resonating: New polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 57% of Republicans believe Democrat Joe Biden was not legitimately elected as president.
—Robert Yoon, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Aug. 2023
There’s even a 19th-century North American art form called punch needle that curious types can try at Crafted at Appellation, where classes led by local designers are paired with premium wine and legitimately delicious bites (Chef Charlie Palmer is Appellation’s co-founder, after all).
—Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2023
First, determine if the cameras were legitimately installed.
—Jill Terreri Ramos, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2023
Nearly six in 10 Republicans surveyed Aug. 10-14 in an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll said Joe Biden was not legitimately elected.
—Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 21 Aug. 2023
The same poll finding that 57 percent of Republicans don’t believe Biden was legitimately elected also found that 7 out of 10 Americans overall saw his election as valid.
—Nicholas Riccardi and David Klepper, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Aug. 2023
Pugh – with her electric hair and septum piercing – knows that protesting for progress is legitimately punk.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legitimately.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1593, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near legitimately
Cite this Entry
“Legitimately.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legitimately. Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.
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