as in to enable
to make something real, accepted, or official
slang words legitimized by usage
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of legitimize
The ’Canes can instantly legitimize themselves by knocking off Notre Dame in its first game since playing for the national championship.
—
Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
His goal was never a quick ceasefire but rather the gradual normalization of Russian territorial conquest through the legitimizing embrace of American diplomacy.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 16 Aug. 2025
This article is not useful to most of us, because 90% of towns and cities in this country are locked into a single ISP, effectively local monopolies legitimized by the feckless FCC, Congress, and state legislatures.
—Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 9 Aug. 2025
Indeed, a huge part of the magazine’s legacy has been legitimizing Black design talent.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimize
Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
His goal was never a quick ceasefire but rather the gradual normalization of Russian territorial conquest through the legitimizing embrace of American diplomacy.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 16 Aug. 2025
This article is not useful to most of us, because 90% of towns and cities in this country are locked into a single ISP, effectively local monopolies legitimized by the feckless FCC, Congress, and state legislatures.
—Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 9 Aug. 2025
Indeed, a huge part of the magazine’s legacy has been legitimizing Black design talent.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimize
Verb
-
This approach has enabled Apex to scale quickly while maintaining the stability and resources associated with a corporate partnership.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Families in more than a dozen states now enjoy universal-eligibility school choice, enabling them to access a portion of education funding to use toward their preferred educational setting.—
Kerry McDonald,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Minneapolis City Council authorized the city attorney’s office to bring litigation against a property owner who has refused to clear a homeless encampment on his property, moving in favor by a vote of 6-4 during a special meeting on Monday morning.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will soon open applications for its $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, as authorized by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.—
Ge Bai,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To be sure, many approaches have been tried in the past, but all sorts of predictions that arose from them have yet to be validated or borne out by experiment.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The data collected will be used to validate mechanical models that will inform the final design of the full-scale propellant tanks.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Laura Lee Yourex, 62, of Costa Mesa, was charged with five felonies, including perjury, procuring or offering a false or forged document to be filed, casting a ballot when not entitled to vote and registering a non-existent person to vote.—
Riley Hoffman,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The complaint alleges Johnson failed to disclose restricted stock units entitling him to 330,000 shares in his January 2024 bankruptcy petition.—
Zach Everson,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Digital assets encompass everything from speculative meme coins to legitimate community development tools.—
Tonya M. Evans,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
-
Clive may or may not have considered his roommate Eugene something more than a roommate, but what’s certain is that any love that took root in their apartment would have had to be legitimated by the law in order to be protected by and from it.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
New Yorker,
26 July 2025
Verb
-
Fortunately, there are a few programs that offer assistance to students who qualify, like those who participate in assistance programs like the National School Lunch Program, housing assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, and others.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Olympians Chase Budinger, Taylor Crabb and Carli Lloyd will compete, and there are two teams made up of amateurs who went through qualifying rounds to participate.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Unmanned Aerial Systems with thermal imaging and infrared capability are in use and night-capable aircraft are available to support crews overnight if needed and as conditions permit.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
But permitting delays and local resistance remain obstacles.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legitimize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimize. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share