legitimate 1 of 2

adjective

li-ˈji-tə-mət How to pronounce legitimate (audio)
Definition of legitimatenext
as in legal
permitted by law the mistrust created among investors by the financial scandal has hurt even companies engaged in wholly legitimate business practices

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

legitimate

2 of 2

verb

as in to legitimize

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word legitimate different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of legitimate are lawful, legal, and licit. While all these words mean "being in accordance with law," legitimate may apply to a legal right or status but also, in extended use, to a right or status supported by tradition, custom, or accepted standards.

a perfectly legitimate question about taxes

When is it sensible to use lawful instead of legitimate?

The synonyms lawful and legitimate are sometimes interchangeable, but lawful may apply to conformity with law of any sort (such as natural, divine, common, or canon).

the lawful sovereign

When can legal be used instead of legitimate?

While in some cases nearly identical to legitimate, legal applies to what is sanctioned by law or in conformity with the law, especially as it is written or administered by the courts.

legal residents of the state

In what contexts can licit take the place of legitimate?

Although the words licit and legitimate have much in common, licit applies to a strict conformity to the provisions of the law and applies especially to what is regulated by law.

the licit use of drugs by doctors

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 legitimate
Adjective
In the past, a weakened judiciary was closely aligned with the military, which typically used it to legitimate military coups through provisional constitutional orders. —Syed Fazl-E-Haider, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2017 In response, elites double down, weaponizing the claim of misinformation to legitimate the stifling of debate. —Jacob Hale Russell, TIME, 4 Mar. 2025
Verb
To be sure, there are legitimate arguments for both sides of these questions. —Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 13 July 2025 Attackers also uploaded counterfeit Python packages mimicking legitimate ChatGPT tools to deceive developers and exploit the popularity of AI development. —Bojan Šimić, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for legitimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimate
  1. legal
  2. legitimize
  3. justifiable
  4. validate
  5. lawful
  6. sanction
  7. privilege
  8. warrant
Adjective
  • Currently, workers have no legal recourse for grievances submitted to the National Labor Relations Board due to the removal of NLRB members by the Trump administration.
    — Nick Gauthier, Hartford Courant, 7 July 2025
  • Many legal scholars don't share Jackson's ominous view, including several critical of Trump.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2025
Definition of legal
Verb
  • This initiative is anticipated to help legitimize this cryptocurrency format, enhancing competition for both traditional and digital-first financial service providers.
    — Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
  • But there's not a better way to legitimize non-conference scheduling in the sport than for its two best leagues to commit to an annual regular-season clash.
    — Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 25 June 2025
Definition of legitimize
Adjective
  • Wilson County deputies' fatal shooting of a man following a domestic disturbance call at a home on Benders Ferry Road has been determined to be justifiable by the 15th District Attorney General, following an investigation.
    — Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
  • Secondly, people in these societies are more likely to perceive aversive behavior as common and justifiable.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 20 June 2025
Definition of justifiable
Verb
  • The experience was unifying, validating, and empowering.
    — Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
  • Cowards need a crowd to cheer them on to validate their selfish actions.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 July 2025
Definition of validate
Adjective
  • Anyone who interferes with our lawful mission will be arrested.
    — Danielle Wallace , Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 9 July 2025
  • And in ruling after ruling, in case after case, on all kinds of points of law, Liman has upheld congestion pricing as lawful: New York State, through the MTA’s Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, has the legal power to impose the toll.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 8 July 2025
Definition of lawful
Verb
  • Similarly, Western governments can do more to zero in on Russia’s defense industry by sanctioning more Russian firms that manufacture essential defense equipment such as drones, missiles, and armored vehicles.
    — Michael Carpenter, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2025
  • The final reason her time won’t be ratified is that her attempt did not occur during an actual race or a World Athletics sanctioned track meet.
    — Katelyn Hutchison, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
Definition of sanction
Verb
  • Nor is he privileged by divine right, like a land-owning Englishman in 1813.
    — Brittany Allen July 10, Literary Hub, 10 July 2025
  • When the team stumbles across a small Titanosaurus herd, the film privileges Henry’s reaction as the paleontologist witnesses an elegant mating ritual for the first time.
    — Peter Debruge, Variety, 30 June 2025
Definition of privilege
Verb
  • Any baby animal found alone: While some parents leave their young for periods, a solitary baby, especially if wet, warrants a call to the rescue center.
    — Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 8 July 2025
  • While Kershaw’s limited workload would normally not warrant an All-Star selection, his stats haven’t been too far off that pace this year: A 4-0 record, 3.43 ERA and 1.254 WHIP in what is the 18th season of his future Hall of Fame career.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
Definition of warrant

Browse Nearby Words

legitimacy
legitimate
legitimated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Legitimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimate. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on legitimate

Nglish: Translation of legitimate 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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

Using Bullet Points ( • )

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

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ten Painless Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

12 Words Whose History Will Surprise You
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Ten Painless Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
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?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All