as in lawfulness
the quality or state of being legal the legitimacy of the military dictatorship was not recognized by most other nations

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of legitimacy There is legitimacy to that statement given the composition of this roster. Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025 When an immigration agent (Diane Sargent) comes to assess the legitimacy of the union, the future of Elvis and his mother’s life out of poverty hangs in the balance. Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2025 But Usagi still struggles to move on from the death of her father, who seemingly died by suicide after the legitimacy of one of his no-oxygen solo hikes was called into question. Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025 Blaming the umpires for a loss is never a good look, even when there's some legitimacy to the claim. Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimacy
Noun
  • The administration now plans to seek a full review next term on the lawfulness of the executive order itself.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
  • The High Court of Justice in London dismissed claims from the Wikimedia Foundation, which challenged the lawfulness of the categorization system used to determine which sites must comply with obligations.
    Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Experts question the legality of these actions.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The United States Supreme Court will hear arguments next week into a case challenging the legality of Colorado’s ban on LGBTQ+ conversion therapy.
    Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Legitimacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimacy. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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