as in authorizing
to make something real, accepted, or official
slang words legitimized by usage
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Recent Examples of legitimizing
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
The international community must act responsibly, avoid falling for false narratives and distorted information and refrain from legitimizing a biased and unprofessional report.
—Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
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
Thus, peace in Ukraine will require a global effort to combat disinformation legitimizing Russia’s aggression and obscuring its war crimes.
—Valerie Morkevicius, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
This refers to malicious actors impersonating a legitimate software package or extension to trick an unwitting coder—or now, an AI—into downloading a malicious one instead, usually by slightly tweaking the name and legitimizing it with fake reviews.
—Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025
Listening does not mean legitimizing hate.
—Kerry Kennedy, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
The resolution could prove key to legitimizing a transitional governance body for Gaza and reassuring countries that are considering sending troops to the region.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025
Gods have been especially helpful in this task of corralling the manual labor of the people and legitimizing it symbolically.
—Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The international community must act responsibly, avoid falling for false narratives and distorted information and refrain from legitimizing a biased and unprofessional report.
—Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
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
Thus, peace in Ukraine will require a global effort to combat disinformation legitimizing Russia’s aggression and obscuring its war crimes.
—Valerie Morkevicius, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
This refers to malicious actors impersonating a legitimate software package or extension to trick an unwitting coder—or now, an AI—into downloading a malicious one instead, usually by slightly tweaking the name and legitimizing it with fake reviews.
—Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025
Listening does not mean legitimizing hate.
—Kerry Kennedy, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
The resolution could prove key to legitimizing a transitional governance body for Gaza and reassuring countries that are considering sending troops to the region.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025
Gods have been especially helpful in this task of corralling the manual labor of the people and legitimizing it symbolically.
—Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimizing
Verb
-
The country cheered then-President Barack Obama for authorizing the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The city was ultimately able to balance its 2026 budget by shifting resources, borrowing money and earning a surprise boost of funds from the Village of Butler for its contract authorizing Brookfield to provide its neighbor fire and EMS services.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Healthcare’s next era will likely be defined by infrastructures that mirror those in fintech or logistics, systems that operate invisibly beneath the surface while enabling every stakeholder to move with confidence.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The last hurrah was a free agent spending spree designed to conquer the Dallas Cowboys that resulted in their last championship following the 1994 season, enabling Steve Young to escape the shadow of Joe Montana with a 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers in Miami.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
When the same agencies advancing a project are also responsible for validating its assumptions, skepticism is inevitable — especially when surrounding neighborhoods are asked to absorb the consequences.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
-
These digital twins operate as autonomous agents capable of validating issues, correlating signals, applying fixes and escalating to humans only when needed, compressing resolution times while improving service quality.—
Peter High,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
-
The four remaining members of the women’s board voted to remove sanctioning, but Becker overruled them.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
-
This involves running a candidate event, which is essentially a mock WRC weekend that will evaluate the location’s ability to host a major event in terms of logistics, safety, crowd management, and race sanctioning.—
Jerry Perez,
The Drive,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Easing zoning and permitting rules Many housing experts point to local zoning and red tape as the root of the slowdown in homebuilding — something that is difficult for the federal government to address, since each local government makes its own rules.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
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Email your senators and representative, or call them at 202-224-3121, to encourage them to support sensible permitting reform for clean and cheap renewable energy.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legitimizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimizing. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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