Showing results for legitimate government. Search instead for illegitimate operations.

legitimate government

Cultural

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.

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.

"I don't recognise the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government, and they don't have recognition here in Austria," said 53-year-old Bakhtari.

From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025

“Members of the public often have no way to confirm whether they are interacting with legitimate government officials,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif, said in a statement.

From Salon • Jul. 19, 2025

Under traditional rational basis review—the lowest, most permissive tier of judicial scrutiny—laws are upheld so long as they are “conceivably” related to a legitimate government interest.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2025

The UK government does not recognise the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2024

If legitimate government is based upon the consent of its subjects, may they withdraw their consent?

From Political Thought in England from Locke to Bentham by Laski, Harold Joseph

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