legitimate government

Cultural  

1. A government generally acknowledged as being in control of a nation and deserving formal recognition, which is symbolized by the exchange of diplomats between that government and the governments of other countries.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

legitimate government

A foreign ministry statement said Riyadh "continues to support the brotherly Yemeni people and their legitimate government."

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

The Fatah-dominated PLO runs the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank not under Israeli control, and has formally claimed to be the legitimate government in Gaza despite exercising no effective control there.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026

City of Hialeah, a religious discrimination case, the court emphasized how a series of ordinances might, when viewed in isolation, advance legitimate government interests in the humane treatment of animals.

From Slate ● Feb. 3, 2025

“There is no legitimate government interest that would justify treating Perez in this manner while he was in medical distress.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2024

So that coming to bear a share in the councils and government of their country, they will keep ever in view the sole objects of all legitimate government.

From Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 4 by Randolph, Thomas Jefferson