LEGITIMATES Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

legitimates

verb

present tense third-person singular of legitimate

as in legitimizes

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimates

Verb

Here the sticker remains, protected by its status as an artwork and by the German institution whose physical enclosure legitimizes it as such.

— Erika Landström, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Social integrity asks what AI legitimizes as knowledge and truth.

— Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026

Definition of legitimizes

Verb

That privileges independent voters for whom name recognition might matter more than ideology.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Beijing, in other words, is pioneering a kind of statecraft that privileges quiet, subnational capture over big, flashy projects.

— Natalia Cote-Muñoz, Foreign Affairs, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of privileges

Verb

Bianco and his allies insist the difference is evidence of maleficence, and that criminal law authorizes the sheriff to sidestep the state’s detailed election code and the attorney general’s sweeping authority to get to the bottom of it.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
The order also authorizes the Justice Department to challenge state vaccine regulations deemed insufficiently respectful of parental objections.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of authorizes

Verb

The bill sanctions Russian financial institutions and its largest state energy projects while targeting Russian partners in the oil and natural gas trade.

— Chris Boccia, ABC News, 14 July 2026
For starters the World Cup is run by the same organization, FIFA, which sanctions virtually every level of soccer globally, from the men’s and women’s World Cups, to confederation competitions including the UEFA Championships and the Copa América, to most major age-group tournaments.

— Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026

Definition of sanctions

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.

Browse Nearby Words

legitimated

legitimates

legitimating

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Legitimates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimates. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of legitimates

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

illustrious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes