Synonyms

legitimacy

American

[li-jit-uh-muh-see] / lɪˈdʒɪt ə mə si /

noun

the state or quality of being legitimate.

Synonyms:

rightfulness, legality, lawfulness

Other Word Forms

nonlegitimacy noun

Etymology

Origin of legitimacy

First recorded in 1685–95; legitim(ate) + -acy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Reports say this careful selection of judges, representing different genders, religions, castes and regions, will help "lend wider legitimacy to a verdict that will inevitably traverse contested terrain".

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Levy: I knew that the matriarch of this family was so important to the legitimacy of this.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

But in August 2013, a group of researchers, led by Irving Weissman of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University, published a paper questioning the legitimacy of Ratajczak’s claim.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

They agree to attach their names to “How’s That?!” to lend it legitimacy, and are virtually powerless to affect the plots generated by a program their network has deceptively nicknamed Al.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

It was also a public event, the beginning of a process whereby new knowledge, in opposition to the old culture of secrecy, established its legitimacy within a public arena.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023