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

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

First, both sides legitimately threatened to score to break the 1-1 tie in the second half. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026

And, if a balance is ultimately legitimately yours, one of your debt relief options is likely far cheaper than letting the debt compound over time. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 29 June 2026

Adorni insisted the money was earned legitimately including through cryptocurrency investments. — Clara Preve, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above