See the Dictionary Definition 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimating
Verb
-
Critics caution the pope against allowing the government to exploit his presence, warning his visit risks legitimizing the regime’s abuses while offering only symbolic appeals for peace.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026 -
There is a difference in legitimizing a person’s agenda versus finding common ground.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Phelps departed the top of the company after an acrimonious lawsuit and subsequent trial between the sanctioning body of NASCAR and two of its Cup Series teams — a 14-month process that revealed some pretty unflattering messages sent within NASCAR leadership.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The sanctioning body pulled the plug early Saturday after overnight rain continued into the early morning hours.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Consequently, teams would do as much work with models as possible before validating the results during the limited test sessions they were allowed.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Instead an employee was seen manually validating tickets.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rather than privileging official statements on events, tabloids tend to privilege comments from ordinary people.—
Shepherd Mpofu,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The plainspoken lyrics align with a broader embrace of sincerity, privileging emotional directness over irony.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The bill also levels up some program implementation with advances in technology, from using GPS and satellite mapping to promote precision farming to authorizing virtual fence technology in some grazing practices.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Creating a requirement for a certification vote authorizing the establishment of a new union bargaining unit to be valid at least 50% of those workers in the bargaining unit must participate.—
Marta Zherukha,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Legitimating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimating. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
