as in lawfulness
the quality or state of being legal
the legitimacy of the military dictatorship was not recognized by most other nations
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Recent Examples of legitimacy
Make no mistake, Putin is, thereby, also losing his legitimacy.
—
Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
The appeal over his legitimacy remains for Nauta and De Oliveira.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
Yet skepticism and disinformation about the legitimacy of CWD’s threat abound in Wisconsin and elsewhere.
—Sophie Hartley, Scientific American, 10 Jan. 2025
That was, in large part, because Mr. Musk is offering the AfD a level of publicity and legitimacy that it has long been denied in German public life.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for legitimacy 
Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
The appeal over his legitimacy remains for Nauta and De Oliveira.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
Yet skepticism and disinformation about the legitimacy of CWD’s threat abound in Wisconsin and elsewhere.
—Sophie Hartley, Scientific American, 10 Jan. 2025
That was, in large part, because Mr. Musk is offering the AfD a level of publicity and legitimacy that it has long been denied in German public life.
—Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for legitimacy
Thesaurus Entries Near legitimacy
Cite this Entry
“Legitimacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimacy. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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