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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of legitimacy
On and off the Senate floor, leaders of both parties described the legislation as reflecting grievances about the aggressive efforts at times to verify the legitimacy of qualifying contributions for public financing and a slow and occasionally inconsistent review process of grant applications.
—
Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 22 May 2025
Chinese leaders see any drift toward Taiwanese independence as a threat to their legitimacy.
—Oriana Skylar Mastro, Foreign Affairs, 20 May 2025
Subjects of King Peter deny the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany and, over the past 13 years, have built up a counter-state with its own institutions.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 19 May 2025
Humphreys said that in Illinois, cannabis is generally accepted and well on its way to legitimacy, and both the consumers and the product types have expanded in recent years.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 22 May 2025
Chinese leaders see any drift toward Taiwanese independence as a threat to their legitimacy.
—Oriana Skylar Mastro, Foreign Affairs, 20 May 2025
Subjects of King Peter deny the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany and, over the past 13 years, have built up a counter-state with its own institutions.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 19 May 2025
Humphreys said that in Illinois, cannabis is generally accepted and well on its way to legitimacy, and both the consumers and the product types have expanded in recent years.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimacy
legality
Noun
-
The nursing home industry has challenged the legalities of past proposals to focus funds disproportionately.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
23 May 2025
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Bates had previously halted enforcement of multiple provisions of the executive order against Jenner & Block and appeared deeply skeptical of its legality during a hearing last month.—
Eric Tucker,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legitimacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimacy. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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