legitimizes

verb

present tense third-person singular of legitimize
as in authorizes
to make something real, accepted, or official slang words legitimized by usage

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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 legitimizes Here the sticker remains, protected by its status as an artwork and by the German institution whose physical enclosure legitimizes it as such. — Erika Landström, Artforum, 2 June 2026 Social integrity asks what AI legitimizes as knowledge and truth. — Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026 Those who earn more than $600 per year get a 1099 tax form, which in the eyes of many creators legitimizes their work, said Bridget Crawford, a law professor at Pace University who has published studies on the economics behind OnlyFans. — Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 14 May 2026 The order largely legitimizes medical marijuana programs in 40 states and grants operators major tax breaks and cannabis research access for the first time. — Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026 Blanche's action Iargely legitimizes medical marijuana programs in the 40 states that have adopted them. — ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026 His stamp of approval seemingly legitimizes the greatest promise of generative AI—to push the frontier of human knowledge and civilization. — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026 Legalized prostitution enables and legitimizes the degradation of human beings, especially women who make up the majority of prostitutes. — Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 24 Feb. 2026 That legitimizes it a little bit. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimizes
  1. authorizes
  2. enables
  3. entitles
  4. validates
  5. qualifies
Verb
  • From there, a certificate belonging to the motherboard or software maker that is embedded into the shim authorizes all software that’s subsequently loaded.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026
  • The legislation, which Gribbin advocated for, authorizes the warnings by classifying a shark attack as an event for which an emergency alert can be issued.
    — Kim Chandler, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of authorizes
Verb
  • The researchers say the framework enables faster, more adaptable locomotion across unpredictable environments and could support future search-and-rescue, exploration, and other autonomous robotic missions.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
  • Efficiency breakthroughs can also lead to more use rather than lower spending, as cheaper and faster AI enables new products and prompts consumers to run models more often.
    — MacKenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 14 July 2026
Definition of enables
Verb
  • The new agreement entitles lawyers to 45% of the settlement, which will be split evenly between the two firms.
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • The lesson of Taylor is not that holding a powerful office entitles someone to go unchallenged.
    — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 10 June 2026
Definition of entitles
Verb
  • When a drug manufacturer validates a production process using a particular filtration platform or bioprocessing system, changing suppliers becomes expensive, time-consuming and potentially risky.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 14 July 2026
  • The milestone further validates the autonomous flight controls and performance capabilities, moving it closer to carrier operations.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026
Definition of validates
Verb
  • Not every person facing danger abroad qualifies for asylum in the United States.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
  • Quansah will miss the semi-final if England qualifies after FIFA gave him a two-game ban.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 12 July 2026
Definition of qualifies

Browse Nearby Words

legitimized
legitimizes
legitimizing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Legitimizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimizes. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on legitimizes

Nglish: Translation of legitimizes for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All