as in authorizing
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 legitimizing
Institutions that once prided themselves on filtering out this kind of rhetoric are now legitimizing it.
—
Alma Hernandez, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
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
Others contend that legitimizing him erodes Democratic credibility on antisemitism and other issues, handing Republicans ammunition heading into the midterms.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
What hurts the Cuban people is legitimizing it.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
The clean prose, self-criticism, and psychological insight give Young Man in a Hurry a reason to exist beyond legitimizing a book tour through the early-primary and swing states.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026
What role did the press play in legitimizing American action in the Spanish American War and also bringing it to an end?
—Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Companies have been forced to navigate a complex environment in which continuing operations risks legitimizing the junta, while withdrawal raises fears of mass job losses in an already devastated economy.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 22 Dec. 2025
Alma Hernandez, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
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
Others contend that legitimizing him erodes Democratic credibility on antisemitism and other issues, handing Republicans ammunition heading into the midterms.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
What hurts the Cuban people is legitimizing it.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
The clean prose, self-criticism, and psychological insight give Young Man in a Hurry a reason to exist beyond legitimizing a book tour through the early-primary and swing states.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026
What role did the press play in legitimizing American action in the Spanish American War and also bringing it to an end?
—Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Companies have been forced to navigate a complex environment in which continuing operations risks legitimizing the junta, while withdrawal raises fears of mass job losses in an already devastated economy.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 22 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimizing
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
Verb
-
The science is getting better, enabling more organs to be used from patients who die older, sicker or further from a hospital.—
Karen Weintraub,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
-
In the ’90s, the blockbuster sales of two flea-and-tick medications, Frontline and Advantage, demonstrated untapped demand, and then intensified that demand by enabling new levels of indoor intimacy between dogs and people.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 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
-
The superintendent, general counsel and chief auditor qualify for the supplements due to provisions in their contracts entitling them to the same increases as other administrative staff, officials said.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Jan. 2026
-
The complaint alleges Johnson failed to disclose restricted stock units entitling him to 330,000 shares in his January 2024 bankruptcy petition.—
Zach Everson,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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
-
Excessive regulation and permitting delays make rebuilding far more expensive, which pushes premiums even higher.—
Steve Hilton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Central to those cases is the idea that college athletes, at least football players at the power conference level, are a labor market that sells services and that the NCAA permitting colleges to directly pay athletes is consistent with a pro league and teams that buy athlete services.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legitimizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimizing. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
