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
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Recent Examples of legitimacy
The first order of business was to partner with an outfit that would lend him some legitimacy, and he got connected to Oxshott Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm started by Erne Stern.
—
Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 3 Apr. 2026
Her legitimacy in Caracas is tied to the power structures that existed under Maduro.
—Boris Muñoz, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
All are committed to the principles of the 1979 revolution and will rule with greater brutality given their lack of legitimacy.
—Abigail Williams, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
The president has repeatedly attacked federal judges and Supreme Court justices who have ruled against his policies, at times singling out individual jurists by name and questioning their motives or legitimacy.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 3 Apr. 2026
Her legitimacy in Caracas is tied to the power structures that existed under Maduro.
—Boris Muñoz, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
All are committed to the principles of the 1979 revolution and will rule with greater brutality given their lack of legitimacy.
—Abigail Williams, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
The president has repeatedly attacked federal judges and Supreme Court justices who have ruled against his policies, at times singling out individual jurists by name and questioning their motives or legitimacy.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimacy
Noun
-
The petitions are not contesting removal orders, only the lawfulness of detaining the noncitizen plaintiffs during those proceedings.—
Tasha Carvell,
Twin Cities,
3 Feb. 2026
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The lawfulness of an order would be determined by a military judge.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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While not issuing a quick rejection, key conservative justices seemed skeptical of the administration’s arguments for its legality.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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The clause was intended to overrule the infamous Dred Scott decision of 1857, which – among other things – denied the legality of Black citizenship in America.—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legitimacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimacy. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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