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-HauptExamples of legitimately in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The food is legitimately good now.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Mar. 2026
Washington’s adroit handling of the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion as president established that a democratic government could legitimately compel compliance with the law, including by using the military.
—Kori Schake, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2026
Streaming fraud diverts funds from musicians and songwriters whose songs were legitimately streamed by real listeners to those who use automation to falsely create the appearance of legitimate streaming.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Mar. 2026
With the cloud, many were legitimately curious or concerned about security, scalability and costs.
—Marc Saltzman, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for legitimately
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Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Mar. 2026
Washington’s adroit handling of the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion as president established that a democratic government could legitimately compel compliance with the law, including by using the military.
—Kori Schake, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2026
Streaming fraud diverts funds from musicians and songwriters whose songs were legitimately streamed by real listeners to those who use automation to falsely create the appearance of legitimate streaming.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Mar. 2026
With the cloud, many were legitimately curious or concerned about security, scalability and costs.
—Marc Saltzman, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for legitimately
Cite this Entry
“Legitimately.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legitimately. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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