as in lawfulness
the quality or state of being legal
the legitimacy of the military dictatorship was not recognized by most other nations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Its growth is fueling a reinforcing cycle: liquidity brings legitimacy, which in turn attracts more flows.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 28 July 2025
Maintaining Integrity in Online Education Despite growing acceptance, online education continues to face scrutiny over quality and legitimacy.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 26 July 2025
Transactions tend to happen on the spot, with buyers picking up the products after checking their legitimacy.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2025
The high street Duck World's place in London's rental and retail world has been met with some questions, including over the legitimacy of the business.
—Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 28 July 2025
Maintaining Integrity in Online Education Despite growing acceptance, online education continues to face scrutiny over quality and legitimacy.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 26 July 2025
Transactions tend to happen on the spot, with buyers picking up the products after checking their legitimacy.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2025
The high street Duck World's place in London's rental and retail world has been met with some questions, including over the legitimacy of the business.
—Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimacy
legality
Noun
-
The legality of the unconventional deal is still being worked out at the White House, CNBC reported, but it’s being warily eyed around the world.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Trump’s comments on Monday coincided with the start of a three-day trial that comes after the state of California challenged the legality of the National Guard’s deployment in June to Los Angeles during protests of ICE raids.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legitimacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimacy. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share