legitimize
verb (used with object)
to make legitimate.
legitimizing
-
present participleof legitimize.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
Rather than serving as "an impartial chronographic work," the researchers suggest it may instead have functioned as "a legitimizing canon of kings, which was periodically updated to remove short-lived or parallel Neo-Assyrian rulers."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
Luis Rivera, executive director of the nonprofit, said Measure CB risks legitimizing the illegal cannabis industry while linking city finances to the tax revenue the businesses would generate.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
He’s legitimizing its use as psychological scaffolding, which allows a person’s cognitive development to be left perpetually unfinished.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
But conciliation carries the risk of legitimizing the court’s most indefensible actions.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2025
The discovery of America was crucial in legitimizing innovation because within forty years no one disputed that it really was an unprecedented event, and one that could not be ignored.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
