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

Explanation

The noun legitimacy means authenticity. If you found an old copy of the Gettysburg Address in your grandmother's attic, you'd have to question its legitimacy when you realized it was written on the back of a car advertisement. Legitimacy comes from the Latin verb legitimare, which means lawful. Legitimacy, then, refers to something that is legal because it meets the specific requirements of the law. The legitimacy of various countries' presidential elections is often discussed, with monitors keeping track of the voting procedures to make sure they follow all the necessary rules.

Example Sentences

The good news is that some law-enforcement leaders are concerned that the agency has put the legitimacy of policing at risk.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2026

Conversely, a lack of transparency breeds distrust and erodes institutional legitimacy.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

“For Want of a Horse” inadvertently lends legitimacy to this line of reasoning.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Weeks before the attack, the North Korean hackers created an illusion of legitimacy by creating a fake token called CarbonVote.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 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

Related Words

• authority
• justice
• validity