delegitimize

American  

[dee-li-jit-uh-mahyz] / ˌdi lɪˈdʒɪt əˌmaɪz /

especially British, delegitimatize, especially british, delegitimise

verb (used with object)

delegitimized, delegitimizing

1. to remove the legitimate or legal status of.

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delegitimize British  

/ ˌdiːlɪˈdʒɪtɪˌmaɪz /

verb

1. to make invalid, illegal, or unacceptable

   crushing and delegitimizing all dissent in Central Asia

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Other Word Forms

• delegitimization noun

Etymology

Origin of delegitimize

de- + legitimize

Explanation

When we delegitimize something, we remove or reduce its legal status or validity. To promote safe driving, we have delegitimized speeding and riding without a fastened seatbelt. If officials decide to delegitimize a dangerous chemical, they may ban it from use in consumer products to keep the public safe. Delegitimize can also refer to trying to undermine the prestige or authority of someone or something. For instance, accusations of wrongdoing against someone can delegitimize that person's reputation and work, even if the allegations are proven to be untrue later on.

Example Sentences

The idea wasn’t to subsume or co-opt the radicals, but to delegitimize them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

In some ways, yes, but only if we discount and delegitimize the lived experience and impact of psychological suffering.

From Salon • Sep. 20, 2025

“It was always, then as now, designed to be an opening wedge in an effort to delegitimize whatever it was for everyone.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2023

“We strongly reject these accusations and refuse to accept bad-faith attempts to delegitimize artists and preventively censor them on the basis of their ethnic heritage and presumed political positions.”

From New York Times • Jun. 10, 2022

In 1988philosopher Guy Debord warned about the term disinformation in Comments on the Society of the Spectacle, writing that the powerful use it as an umbrella term to delegitimize opposition and criticism.

From Slate • May 23, 2022