as in to enable
to make something real, accepted, or official
slang words legitimized by usage
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Recent Examples of legitimize
Shares of psychedelic drug developers such as Compass Pathways and other rivals tied to the space rallied following the announcement, with Wall Street analysts arguing the order could legitimize an industry long viewed as fringe.
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Brandon Gomez,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
The mayor himself will arrive this morning ahead of his afternoon one-on-one with Leo, the first American — and Chicago-born — pope, whose advocacy on immigrant rights and historic apology on Monday for the Holy See’s role in legitimizing slavery will be top of the list for Johnson to discuss.
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Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Strong suggests legitimizing and standardizing station tattoos, making a design readily available if deputies want to pay homage to their workplace, as other departments across the nation do.
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Sierra Van Der Brug,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
Social integrity asks what AI legitimizes as knowledge and truth.
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Hamilton Mann,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for legitimize
Brandon Gomez,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
The mayor himself will arrive this morning ahead of his afternoon one-on-one with Leo, the first American — and Chicago-born — pope, whose advocacy on immigrant rights and historic apology on Monday for the Holy See’s role in legitimizing slavery will be top of the list for Johnson to discuss.
—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Strong suggests legitimizing and standardizing station tattoos, making a design readily available if deputies want to pay homage to their workplace, as other departments across the nation do.
—
Sierra Van Der Brug,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
Social integrity asks what AI legitimizes as knowledge and truth.
—
Hamilton Mann,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for legitimize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimize
Verb
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That political independence has enabled the Fed to make decisions that might be unpopular in the short term, but that have the best interests of the US economy in mind for the long term.
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The service enables anyone to show up at a DASH office with a package less than 16 ounces and get it on the next flight out, subject to Transportation Security Administration regulations.
Verb
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The Bureau of Land Management recently authorized construction of access roads, groundwater monitoring wells, and overhead power infrastructure on public land within the project area.
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But that refurbishment, authorized by a National Park Service contract in April, is only the latest in a saga of repairs, cleaning and improvement efforts that dates back more than 50 years.
Verb
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These lands have been open for leasing for many decades and this decision validates decisions made in the past.
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Recent upgrades include the Strategic Weapons Systems Ashore testing facility, which reached full operational capability in late 2024 to validate future upgrades to the Trident weapon system before fleet deployment.
Verb
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Every child is entitled to a public education in this country, Nakassis said, and special education is a response to the fact that some children have differences that require additional support.
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Every child is entitled to a public education in this country, Nakassis said, and special education is a response to the fact that some children have differences that require additional support.
Verb
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For schools, one bill would limit the use of student biometric data to legitimate instructional purposes, while another would prohibit teachers from using AI to assign grades on student work.
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The only path from bubble team to legitimate Stanley Cup contender requires making major upgrades at a faster rate than the stars’ decline.
Verb
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Friday's match was expected to draw large celebrations, as the 2026 tournament marks the first time the African island nation has qualified for the FIFA World Cup.
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Cape Verde, an island nation off the west coast of Africa that qualified for the World Cup for the first time this year, is scheduled to face Argentina tomorrow in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Verb
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Gary Chan, who obtained a federal explosives permit for the company, has been charged with seven counts of murder and six charges related to the possession and transportation of explosives.
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The Heat began Tuesday by retaining three-point shooting forward Simone Fontecchio in free agency, and then continued to address its need for outside shooting when league-wide free agent negotiations were permitted to begin Tuesday night.
Cite this Entry
“Legitimize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimize. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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