legitimate
adjective
le·git·i·mate
| \ li-ˈji-tə-mət
\
\
Definition of legitimate
(Entry 1 of 2)
b
: having full filial rights and obligations by birth
a legitimate child
2
: being exactly as purposed : neither spurious nor false
a legitimate grievance a legitimate practitioner
3a
: accordant with law or with established legal forms and requirements
a legitimate government
b
: ruling by or based on the strict principle of hereditary right
a legitimate king
4
: conforming to recognized principles or accepted rules and standards
a legitimate advertising expenditure a legitimate inference
5
: relating to plays acted by professional actors but not including revues, burlesque, or some forms of musical comedy
the legitimate theater
legitimate
verb
le·git·i·mate
| \ li-ˈji-tə-ˌmāt
\
\
legitimated;
legitimating
Definition of legitimate (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make (someone or something) legitimate (see legitimate entry 1):
a(1)
: to give legal status or authorization to
(2)
: to show or affirm to be justified
(3)
: to lend authority or respectability to
b
: to give (a child born out of wedlock) the same legal status as a child born in wedlock
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Other Words from legitimate
Adjective
legitimately
adverb
Verb
legitimation
\ li-ˌji-tə-ˈmā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
legitimator
\ li-ˈji-tə-ˌmā-tər
\
noun
\
noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for legitimate
Synonyms: Adjective
lawful, legal, legit [slang], licit
Antonyms: Adjective
illegal, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, unlawful, wrongful
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Examples of legitimate in a Sentence
Adjective
Law books were getting thicker by the week with Supreme Court decisions barring legitimate claims because they weren't timely filed. — John Grisham, The Chamber, 1995 Even in many courtrooms, where there is valid concern about the privacy of defendants, judges recognize that camera coverage serves a legitimate public interest. — New Republic, 22 Feb. 1993 He was indeed already a legitimate child according to the law of Scotland, by the subsequent marriage of his parents. — Sir Walter Scott, The Heart of Mid-Lothian, 1818 legitimate means for achieving success the legitimate use of firearms There's no legitimate reason for prescribing this medication to a child.Verb
Which comes first, the desire to legitimate euthanasia or the nullifying of a distinction between killing and allowing to die? — Daniel Callahan, Commonweal, 2 June 2000 Poland has ceased being a nation with even a pretense of Communist rule, a rule that is legitimated by Marxist ideology. — Irving Kristol, Wall Street Journal, 11 Jan. 1982 … they are more concerned with the ways in which schools and colleges legitimate and maintain inequality than with the ways they devalue and restrict personal autonomy. — Christopher Jencks, New York Times Book Review, 15 Feb. 1976 slang words legitimated by usage Her tendency to be secretive only serves to legitimate their suspicions.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Aitken said investigators also would consider whether Skaggs obtained the drugs from a legitimate prescriber, then continue up the supply chain to the pharmacist and manufacturer. — Los Angeles Times, "The Sports Report: USC wins season opener, but JT Daniels is injured," 1 Sep. 2019 If there's a legitimate quarterback competition, then playing McCaffrey — by himself — makes sense. — Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football's new offense shines, despite sloppiness, in 40-21 win over MTSU," 31 Aug. 2019 With Ricard’s emergence as a legitimate two-way player, the Ravens don’t need more than five linemen here. — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, "Final Ravens 53-man roster projection: Finding space for Jaleel Scott, Patrick Mekari and more," 30 Aug. 2019 And beyond getting in, is there potential for a legitimate title contender from beyond the usual suspects? — George Schroeder, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Why college football needs new blood to break through current playoff blockade," 30 Aug. 2019 Daphne waves the flag for prescriptivists, who believe in upholding language’s historical precedents, while Laurel champions the descriptivists, who argue that language grows and changes over time, with equally legitimate results. — Susan Dominus, New York Times, "In Love With Language, but Not Necessarily With Each Other," 30 Aug. 2019 The following season Thielen made the 53-man roster and after paying his dues as a special-teams ace, started to emerge as a legitimate NFL receiver. — Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, "‘I wouldn’t be in the NFL’: Vikings weigh in on ‘Catch-22’ of shortening preseason," 28 Aug. 2019 Meanwhile there's legitimate, non-secret science out there for predicting this sort of thing though its impossible to predict weather with much accuracy beyond a week. — Rollin Bishop, Popular Mechanics, "Don't Trust the Farmer's Almanac for Weather Predictions," 28 Aug. 2019 Rather than contract with legitimate third-party gift-card brands, some have allegedly set up shell companies to stash their unused gift money out of state. — Michael Waters, The Atlantic, "What Happens to All Those Unused Gift Cards," 27 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The White Man’s Burden,’ and a plethora of other work that sought to legitimate the British empir[e] … and dehumanise people of colour. — Maya Jasanoff, The New Republic, "Rudyard Kipling, American Imperialist," 22 Aug. 2019 As a woman, Doris Lee’s participation legitimated the campaign. — Melissa Hendrickson, Smithsonian, "How American Brewers Employed Fine Art to Sell Beer," 6 Aug. 2019 The ideologies and organization of the public schools are legitimated by the promise that America takes care of the poor and allows them to do better. — Titus Techera, National Review, "A Teacher Confronts Reality," 26 June 2019 In other instances, however, China uses international institutions to legitimate its own interests. — Elizabeth Economy, WSJ, "Xi Jinping’s Superpower Plans," 19 July 2018 The coupon follows similar format to legitimate Kroger coupons, with an expiration date of August 30 and a barcode. — Holly Shively, ajc, "$250 Kroger coupon circulating on social media a fake; company warns don’t click on it," 9 July 2018 The Tigers impressive week to them from on the bubble of even making the tournament to legitimate contention for a No. 2 seed. — Brody Miller, NOLA.com, "LSU's SEC Tournament run ends in championship loss to Ole Miss," 27 May 2018 Now, as the technology expands from a fringe hacker toy to legitimate business applications, opportunists have flooded the field. — Erin Griffith, WIRED, "187 Things the Blockchain Is Supposed to Fix," 25 May 2018 At the moment, the pressing issue is how the Padres propose to jump from non-factor to legitimate contender. —