legitimate government

Cultural  

1. 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

See Examples For:

legitimate government

Revolut called the incident “a sophisticated external impersonation scam where an unauthorized third party utilized a legitimate government agency domain email to submit fraudulent requests for information.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Menendez explained that she needed more time to find the line between legitimate government activity and the unconstitutional “commandeering” of states by the federal government.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026

"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

It would be the solemn duty of the United States to defend each one of its members from the violence which might thus have overthrown its legitimate government.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 4, October, 1863 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various