LEGITIMIZED Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

legitimized

verb

past tense of legitimize

as in authorized

to make something real, accepted, or official slang words legitimized by usage

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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.

Recent Examples of legitimized That victory made the Myanmar native a champion questioned by some, but Van legitimized his reign by prevailing in a grueling battle against Tatsuro Taira last May, stopping his challenger in the final round. — Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 The Peruvian system has a solid institutional foundation that was legitimized over time and is supported by the Peruvian public. — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 Arizona's recognition of the bolo legitimized the piece as more than a nontraditional tie. — Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Mass media genres are developed and legitimized to voice particular concerns and provide pleasures that align with audiences’ interests. — Tham Thi Nguyen, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026 In many ways, your involvement as an investor in and adviser to Vice legitimized the company and its larger-than-life leader, Shane Smith. — Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimized

Verb

That's according to a person familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly and cautioned the plans could shift.

— NICHOLAS INGRAM, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
As synthetic media and autonomous systems proliferate, organizations will need to verify identity, prove content provenance and determine whether AI agents are authorized to act.

— Amit Sinha, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of authorized

Verb

The department argued that Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 entitled it to the unredacted records.

— Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
If the housekeeper rejects the reduced award, the judge said, Brown will be entitled to a new trial limited to damages.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of entitled

Verb

The company is working on a Siri AI-enabled smart home hub that comes with a six-inch display that users can mount to their wall or place on a table, Bloomberg has reported.

— Emma Roth, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Consider Inside Membership a slick, Uber-like alternative to traditional PR agencies, streamlining the process of bookings, content creation and measurement of ROI, since it’s all enabled by proprietary technology.

— Miles Socha, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of enabled

Verb

Synthetic data must be packaged properly so teams can find and trust it, cleared against compliance rules and validated before deployment into a training pipeline.

— Richard Clough, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
The mercurial aspect of the ego wants so much to be validated, respected and understood for a pursuit.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of validated

Verb

Other sanctioned Iranian airlines, however, have continued flying into Turkey.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
The Treasury Department first sanctioned Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organization in July 2024, and the State Department designated it a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025.

— Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of sanctioned

Verb

Senate Bill 903 would have prohibited a therapist from using AI tools to make decisions or evaluate a person’s emotional state, without the review and approval from someone who is licensed.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
His works are carefully licensed and stewarded, which brings us to Jean-Pierre Frohlich.

— Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of licensed

Verb

The company disputes that 27 odor complaints since 2024 and 67 videos of work being done outside permitted hours referenced in a city staff report represent actual violations of the city’s noise, odor and operating hour rules.

— Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
But chalking on walls and vertical surfaces as well as at residence halls is not permitted.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of permitted

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“Legitimized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimized. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of legitimized

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