legitimacy

American  

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

noun

1. the state or quality of being legitimate.

   Synonyms:

   rightfulness, legality, lawfulness

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Other Word Forms

• nonlegitimacy noun

Etymology

Origin of legitimacy

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

Example Sentences

Gathering public input is fundamental to the legitimacy of regulatory agencies.

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

“Ghalibaf has a lot of legitimacy in the eyes of the security establishment,” Grajewski said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

She reminisces on a childhood growing up in a repressive household during the 1960s, when second-wave feminism and the women’s liberation movement were just starting to achieve legitimacy.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

Pascal and Boyle both ‘won’ this argument in so far as they succeeded in casting doubt on the legitimacy of appealing to substances whose existence might be theoretically convenient but could not be demonstrated experimentally.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• authority
• justice
• validity