as in lawfulness
the quality or state of being legal
the legitimacy of the military dictatorship was not recognized by most other nations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of legitimacy
In a statement on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the unusually large revision cast doubt on the legitimacy of the BLS.
—
Max Zahn, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
That decision contributed to a perception by some analysts of Roberts as an institutionalist who prioritizes protecting the Supreme Court's legitimacy over the pursuit of personal policy or political preferences.
—Jan Wolfe, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
The West Virginia native became the face of female boxing in the mid-1990s, covering Sports Illustrated and helping to bring attention and legitimacy to the sport.
—Esther Zuckerman, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Oversight today occupies a space of liminality — the threshold between legitimacy and irrelevance, between promise and abandonment.
—Hansel Alejandro Aguilar, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Max Zahn, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
That decision contributed to a perception by some analysts of Roberts as an institutionalist who prioritizes protecting the Supreme Court's legitimacy over the pursuit of personal policy or political preferences.
—Jan Wolfe, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
The West Virginia native became the face of female boxing in the mid-1990s, covering Sports Illustrated and helping to bring attention and legitimacy to the sport.
—Esther Zuckerman, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Oversight today occupies a space of liminality — the threshold between legitimacy and irrelevance, between promise and abandonment.
—Hansel Alejandro Aguilar, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimacy
Noun
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The administration now plans to seek a full review next term on the lawfulness of the executive order itself.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
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The High Court of Justice in London dismissed claims from the Wikimedia Foundation, which challenged the lawfulness of the categorization system used to determine which sites must comply with obligations.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The White House is currently locked in a court battle over the legality of this practice, where the administration could refuse to spend money approved by Congress.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
6 Sep. 2025
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Critics also question the legality of the strike.—
Andres Oppenheimer
September 5,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legitimacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimacy. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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