LEGITIMATING Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

legitimating

verb

present participle of legitimate

as in legitimizing

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimating

Verb

Moreover, its lead in many technologies meant that the United States had much more to lose than to gain by legitimizing commercial spying.

— DAVID S. COHEN, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026
Seeking new crypto money, Christie’s and Sotheby’s cut all other legitimizing actors out of the loop with NFTs, elevating what might previously have been categorized as illustration, graphic art, or a social media meme to the status of fine art.

— Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of legitimizing

Verb

In addition to sanctioning Brito and Epstein, Williams also ordered a copy of her order to be sent to the New York State Bar Association, of which acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is a member.

— Dan Mangan, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
Tony Forte, president of USAngling, the sanctioning body, said the tournament will be a showcase to persuade the International Olympic Committee to include bass fishing at the Summer Olympics.

— Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of sanctioning

Verb

Ian Papautsky, a microfluidics researcher at the University of Illinois Chicago, says that Theranos’s public downfall and time in the spotlight create a strong case for validating scientific findings.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
Despite these risks, organizations are rapidly funding AI initiatives before validating the data those initiatives depend on.

— Mark van Berkel, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of validating

Verb

But the death of Khamenei eliminated the regime’s paramount figure, disturbing the existing balance, and the war is systematically privileging the parts of the state responsible for survival over everything else.

— Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026
This was right in the peak of Elon Musk’s reconstruction of Twitter, privileging rage bait and engagement tactics that helped misinformation disseminate like fact.

— Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of privileging

Verb

Council members approved the controversial resolution by a narrow vote of 8-7 late Monday, authorizing Mayor Andre Dickens and his administration to sell the Atlanta City Detention Center.

— Shaddi Abusaid, AJC.com, 20 Oct. 2026
In 2023, Florida passed a law authorizing school districts to make menstrual hygiene products available, at no charge, in schools.

— Natalie La Roche Pietri, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of authorizing

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

legitimates

legitimating

legitimation

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Legitimating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimating. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of legitimating

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

vocation

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes