# legitimate

/ɫəˈdʒɪtəmət/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/legitimate
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. legal

adjective · CEFR B2

allowed by the law or following official rules.

For teachers: conforming to the law or to established legal forms and requirements.

- The company made sure all its business deals were completely legitimate.
- The court ruled that the contract was legitimate, as it had been signed by both parties under no duress and in accordance with local statutes.

### 2. valid or reasonable

adjective · CEFR B2

fair, honest, or based on good reasons.

For teachers: conforming to recognized principles or accepted standards; justifiable and valid.

- It is a legitimate question to ask why the project is over budget.
- While some critics dismissed the protest, many observers felt the students had legitimate grievances regarding the rising cost of tuition.

### 3. real or genuine

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

real and not a fake or a trick.

For teachers: authentic, genuine, or real; not spurious or counterfeit.

- The email looked like a scam, but it turned out to be a legitimate message from the bank.
- The collector refused to purchase the painting until a legitimate expert could verify its provenance and confirm it was not a clever forgery.

### 4. to make legal or acceptable

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to make something legal or to make people accept it as right.

For teachers: to make something legitimate, lawful, or valid; to justify or provide a legal basis for an action.

- The new law will legitimate the status of many workers who were previously undocumented.
- The government sought to legitimate its controversial intervention by citing several international treaties that permitted such actions in times of crisis.

Usage: This is a transitive verb and requires a direct object.

## Examples

- The new law will legitimate the current government's actions.
- The committee sought to legitimate the new safety protocols by citing several independent scientific studies.
- Historians argue that the monarch used public ceremonies to legitimate his rule and suppress any lingering doubts about his right to the throne.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.