legitimate

[ adjective noun li-jit-uh-mit; verb li-jit-uh-meyt ]

adjective

1. according to law; lawful:

   the property's legitimate owner.

   Synonyms: licit, legal

   Antonyms: illegitimate

2. in accordance with established rules, principles, or standards.

   Synonyms: sanctioned

3. born in wedlock or of legally married parents:

   legitimate children.

4. in accordance with the laws of reasoning; logically inferable; logical:

   a legitimate conclusion.

   Synonyms: valid

5. resting on or ruling by the principle of hereditary right:

   a legitimate sovereign.

6. not spurious or unjustified; genuine:

   It was a legitimate complaint.

7. of the normal or regular type or kind.
8. Theater. of or relating to professionally produced stage plays, as distinguished from burlesque, vaudeville, television, motion pictures, etc.:

   an actor in the legitimate theater.

verb (used with object)

, le·git·i·mat·ed, le·git·i·mat·ing.

1. to make lawful or legal; pronounce or state as lawful:

   Parliament legitimated his accession to the throne.

   Synonyms: legalize

2. to establish as lawfully born:

   His bastard children were afterward legitimated by law.

3. to show or declare to be legitimate or proper:

   He was under obligation to legitimate his commission.

4. to justify; sanction or authorize:

   His behavior was legitimated by custom.

noun

1. the legitimate, the legitimate theater or drama.
2. a person who is established as being legitimate.

legitimate

adjective

1. born in lawful wedlock; enjoying full filial rights
2. conforming to established standards of usage, behaviour, etc
3. based on correct or acceptable principles of reasoning
4. reasonable, sensible, or valid

   a legitimate question

5. authorized, sanctioned by, or in accordance with law
6. of, relating to, or ruling by hereditary right

   a legitimate monarch

7. of or relating to a body of famous long-established plays as distinct from films, television, vaudeville, etc

   the legitimate theatre

verb

1. tr to make, pronounce, or show to be legitimate

Derived Forms

• leˈgitimately, adverb
• leˈgitimacy, noun
• leˌgitiˈmation, noun

Other Words From

• le·giti·mate·ly adverb
• le·giti·mate·ness noun
• le·giti·mation noun
• dele·giti·mate verb (used with object) delegitimated delegitimating
• dele·giti·mation noun
• nonle·giti·mate adjective
• postle·giti·mation noun
• quasi-le·giti·mate adjective
• quasi-le·giti·mate·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of legitimate¹

First recorded in 1485–95, legitimate is from the Medieval Latin word lēgitimātus (past participle of lēgitimāre to make lawful). See legitim, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of legitimate¹

C15: from Medieval Latin lēgitimātus made legal, from lēx law

Example Sentences

According to Roman Sannikov, a Russia specialist with cybersecurity firm Recorded Future, the high volume of legitimate cryptocurrency use in Eastern Europe is a legacy of the Soviet Union and its collapse.

From Fortune

Turkey argues that Hamas — which won the last election in 2006 — is the legitimate representative of the people of Gaza.

From Ozy

In addition to pinpointing medically legitimate reasons to make CRISPR babies, the panelists also called for an international body to oversee the work.

From MIT Technology Review

Not if people are just trying to knock you, but if they’re trying to be substantive, serious, legitimate.

From Ozy

Urban was partially inspired by Andrej Karpathy, who a few years ago trained a neural network to generate mathematical-looking nonsense that looked legitimate to nonexperts.

From Quanta Magazine

There are limits to the painting of banditry and extortion as the legitimate raising of taxes.

From The Daily Beast

In 2012, as a 10th grader, Lean says he recorded his first legitimate song, “Hurt.”

From The Daily Beast

He was courteous, explained the legitimate reason we were briefly pulled over, and then let us continue on our way.

From The Daily Beast

In Turkey, crime groups in border areas are exploiting the labor of Syrian male refugees who cannot find legitimate employment.

From The Daily Beast

There are legitimate criticisms of the study, but not because it includes “attempted forced kissing,” as Lowry suggested.

From The Daily Beast

I didn't much like his offhand way of asking; not that it wasn't a perfectly legitimate query.

From Project Gutenberg

Education is the cultivation of a just and legitimate familiarity betwixt the mind and things.

From Project Gutenberg

Education is a just and legitimate familiarity betwixt the mind and things.

From Project Gutenberg

This people worked, through legitimate channels, to advance its ideal, inspired by the purest loyalty to Spain.

From Project Gutenberg

In spite of this acknowledged defect, many of the best players in this country regard it as a legitimate and helpful device.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• appropriate
• certain
• consistent
• correct
• fair
• genuine
• justifiable
• lawful
• logical
• natural
• normal
• proper
• real
• reasonable
• reliable
• rightful
• sensible
• statutory
• true
• well-founded