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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Recent Examples of legitimacy
No ‘victory image’ for Tehran Ruhe similarly argued that Israel wants to avoid any agreement that restores legitimacy to the Iranian regime without fundamentally weakening it.
—
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
The fact that Sawe’s run was fully compliant with these rules underscores its legitimacy.
—New Atlas, 5 May 2026
In their filing arguing for Allen’s release, his attorneys questioned the legitimacy of both arguments.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
To give the works a veneer of legitimacy, the defendants fabricated detailed ownership histories, claiming the pieces had passed through private collections tied to the artists, or through galleries and corporate collections that no longer exist.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
The fact that Sawe’s run was fully compliant with these rules underscores its legitimacy.
—New Atlas, 5 May 2026
In their filing arguing for Allen’s release, his attorneys questioned the legitimacy of both arguments.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
To give the works a veneer of legitimacy, the defendants fabricated detailed ownership histories, claiming the pieces had passed through private collections tied to the artists, or through galleries and corporate collections that no longer exist.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimacy
Noun
-
The ruling follows a legal challenge by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) over the lawfulness of a December 2022 parliament vote.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
-
Had the former Wolverines coach and prosecutors failed to negotiate a plea deal and gone to trial, Moore’s attorneys were expected to attack the admissibility of evidence and the lawfulness of a search warrant.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The legality of detaining civil immigration detainees at Guantanamo is still being litigated.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
-
The legality of the raid is being disputed in court, and there has not been any evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legitimacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimacy. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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