legitimate

[ adjective, noun li-jit-uh-mit; verb li-jit-uh-meyt ]
See synonyms for: legitimatelegitimatedlegitimateslegitimating on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. according to law; lawful: the property's legitimate owner.

  2. in accordance with established rules, principles, or standards.

  1. born in wedlock or of legally married parents: legitimate children.

  2. in accordance with the laws of reasoning; logically inferable; logical: a legitimate conclusion.

  3. resting on or ruling by the principle of hereditary right: a legitimate sovereign.

  4. not spurious or unjustified; genuine: It was a legitimate complaint.

  5. of the normal or regular type or kind.

  6. Theater. of or relating to professionally produced stage plays, as distinguished from burlesque, vaudeville, television, motion pictures, etc.: an actor in the legitimate theater.

verb (used with object),le·git·i·mat·ed, le·git·i·mat·ing.
  1. to make lawful or legal; pronounce or state as lawful: Parliament legitimated his accession to the throne.

  2. to establish as lawfully born: His bastard children were afterward legitimated by law.

  1. to show or declare to be legitimate or proper: He was under obligation to legitimate his commission.

  2. to justify; sanction or authorize: His behavior was legitimated by custom.

noun
  1. the legitimate, the legitimate theater or drama.

  2. a person who is established as being legitimate.

Origin of legitimate

1
First recorded in 1485–95, legitimate is from the Medieval Latin word lēgitimātus (past participle of lēgitimāre to make lawful). See legitim, -ate1

Other words for legitimate

Opposites for legitimate

Other words from legitimate

  • le·git·i·mate·ly, adverb
  • le·git·i·mate·ness, noun
  • le·git·i·ma·tion, noun
  • de·le·git·i·mate, verb (used with object), de·le·git·i·mat·ed, de·le·git·i·mat·ing.
  • de·le·git·i·ma·tion, noun
  • non·le·git·i·mate, adjective
  • post·le·git·i·ma·tion, noun
  • qua·si-le·git·i·mate, adjective
  • qua·si-le·git·i·mate·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with legitimate

Words Nearby legitimate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use legitimate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for legitimate

legitimate

adjective(lɪˈdʒɪtɪmɪt)
  1. born in lawful wedlock; enjoying full filial rights

  2. conforming to established standards of usage, behaviour, etc

  1. based on correct or acceptable principles of reasoning

  2. reasonable, sensible, or valid: a legitimate question

  3. authorized, sanctioned by, or in accordance with law

  4. of, relating to, or ruling by hereditary right: a legitimate monarch

  5. of or relating to a body of famous long-established plays as distinct from films, television, vaudeville, etc: the legitimate theatre

verb(lɪˈdʒɪtɪˌmeɪt)
  1. (tr) to make, pronounce, or show to be legitimate

Origin of legitimate

1
C15: from Medieval Latin lēgitimātus made legal, from lēx law

Derived forms of legitimate

  • legitimacy or legitimateness, noun
  • legitimately, adverb
  • legitimation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012