as in authorized
to make something real, accepted, or official
slang words legitimized by usage
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Recent Examples of legitimized
This was legitimized as a way to protect the country from further invasions – which the French were constantly threatening to do.
—
Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
Parcells legitimized the franchise upon his arrival as a Super Bowl-winning coach in 1993 and took the Patriots to the playoffs in two of his four seasons.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Notably, numerous high-profile cable news has-beens have legitimized Owens' outrageous laundering of a left-wing political assassination into an anti-Semitic caper.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
If there was any question, the ownership of the top spot was legitimized by the company's recent rights deal with Paramount Plus.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
This article is not useful to most of us, because 90% of towns and cities in this country are locked into a single ISP, effectively local monopolies legitimized by the feckless FCC, Congress, and state legislatures.
—Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 9 Aug. 2025
Congressional hearings in 2022 and 2023 further legitimized the topic, with intelligence officials emphasizing national security concerns.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
The world's most powerful political figure has legitimized their vision.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
And that fear is only legitimized further by laws that allow fear itself to be a credible excuse for murder.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
Parcells legitimized the franchise upon his arrival as a Super Bowl-winning coach in 1993 and took the Patriots to the playoffs in two of his four seasons.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Notably, numerous high-profile cable news has-beens have legitimized Owens' outrageous laundering of a left-wing political assassination into an anti-Semitic caper.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
If there was any question, the ownership of the top spot was legitimized by the company's recent rights deal with Paramount Plus.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
This article is not useful to most of us, because 90% of towns and cities in this country are locked into a single ISP, effectively local monopolies legitimized by the feckless FCC, Congress, and state legislatures.
—Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 9 Aug. 2025
Congressional hearings in 2022 and 2023 further legitimized the topic, with intelligence officials emphasizing national security concerns.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
The world's most powerful political figure has legitimized their vision.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
And that fear is only legitimized further by laws that allow fear itself to be a credible excuse for murder.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimized
Verb
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Roseman has authorized nine trades since the beginning of training camp, the most in his 16-year tenure.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
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Trump has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out covert operations in the country and has left the door firmly open to unspecified land operations.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The investigation into Morgan stemmed from a legislative audit that found Mount Ida's mayor and recorder/treasurer were paid a total of $108,684 more than they were entitled to in 2024 and part of 2025.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Nov. 2025
-
This one billionaire would thereby be entitled to a disproportionate share of—remember, by nature limited—removals, simply by virtue of his ability to pay handsomely for them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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What changed modern warfare was not necessarily the most advanced weapon per se, but rather that the Sherman enabled large-scale mechanized operations, thanks to its ease of production, repair, logistics support, and global deployment across multiple theaters.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
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This operational discipline enabled the company to pursue projects with tight timelines or unusual spatial constraints, assignments that often commanded premium pricing due to their complexity and precision requirements.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Auburn goal-line fumble, which the SEC privately validated as the right call.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Now 21, George has validated that move with an early-season breakout that’s turned him into one of Washington’s cornerstones.—
Grant Afseth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Now in her 90s, Riddick recalled the early days of the Pumpkin Roll, when the event wasn't officially sanctioned by the city and someone at the bottom of Midland Road would tell people by radio whether there was oncoming traffic on Kavanaugh or not.—
Daniel McFadin,
Arkansas Online,
3 Nov. 2025
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In March 2026, Chamley-Watson will launch the first-ever Miles Chamley-Watson Cup as a youth competition in Atlantic City sanctioned by USA Fencing and aiming to inspire the next generation of fencers.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Repicturing Rural, a new report from Getty Images and Land O’ Lakes, reveals that despite one in five of Americans living on rural land, just 5% of popular visuals licensed from Getty Images are set in rural places, and only 16% of rural images include people.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
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The English-language feature project was first announced by New Line in 2019, and was the first time Sanrio had licensed film rights to the classic cat.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The enhanced subsidies raised the income limit on who qualified, expanding eligibility to many middle-class people.—
Berkeley Lovelace Jr,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
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In 2023, this condition, which qualified as a disability, turned him into the target of abuse and ridicule.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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These elements might’ve felt like less of a stretch if the director’s screenplay permitted more flight into fantasy.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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The farm will still be permitted to conduct testing and research on the remaining beagles past the settlement date.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legitimized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimized. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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