Legitimate is a word with several related meanings. Most often, it describes something that is allowed by law or generally accepted as validofficially accepted and able to be trusted or used or proper. It can also mean something that makes sense, or a process of making something legalallowed by the rules of a government or authority or recognizedaccepted and known as official or real.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /lɪˈdʒɪt.ə.mət/
Easy pronunciation: lih-JIT-uh-mut (approximate spelling).
Stress: Primary stress is on the second syllable: JIT.
Use this pronunciation for the adjective meaning legal or officially accepted.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Legitimate Meaning
legal or officially accepted
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: allowed by law; valid or proper according to accepted rules
Example: The new policy was seen as a legitimate response to the problem.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- lawful — Works well in the legal sense.
- licit — A formal synonym meaning allowed by law.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Legitimate
Meaning 2
reasonable and sensible
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: based on reason, facts, or known conditions
Example: That's a legitimate concern after what happened last year.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- logical — Can fit this sense in some contexts, though it is not always a perfect substitute.
Meaning 3
proper and acceptable by standard rules
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: in accordance with recognized or accepted standards or principles
Example: The company followed legitimate advertising practices.
Meaning 4
to make something legal
Part of speech: verb
Definition: make legal
Example: The reform would legalize the trade and legitimize the new industry.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- decriminalise — A related legal-change verb, but narrower than legitimate in general.
- decriminalize — A related legal-change verb, but narrower than legitimate in general.
- legalise — Directly matches this verb sense.
- legalize — Directly matches this verb sense.
- legitimatise — Variant spelling used in some English varieties.
- legitimatize — Variant spelling used in some English varieties.
- legitimise — Variant spelling used in some English varieties.
- legitimize — Directly matches this verb sense.
Meaning 5
to give legal status to a child or marriage
Part of speech: verb
Definition: make a child or marriage legally recognized
Example: The parents later chose to legitimize their marriage in court.
Meaning 6
to prove something is fair or valid
Part of speech: verb
Definition: show or prove to be just and legitimate
Example: The report attempts to legitimate the decision.
Meaning 7
legally recognized
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: of a marriage or child, recognized as lawful
Example: They later had a legitimate marriage.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Legitimate Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- lawful
- licit
reasonable, sensible
- logical
make legal
- legalise
- legalize
- legitimize
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Using legitimate to mean only 'legal' and forgetting its other common adjective sense, 'reasonable' or 'valid'.
- Using legitimate as a synonym for 'legitimatize' when the context is actually about recognizing a child or marriage.
- Confusing legitimate with illegitimate, which is its opposite in the family-status sense.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does legitimate mean in simple English?
It usually means legal, proper, or accepted as valid. In another common use, it can mean reasonable or sensible.
What are the main synonyms of legitimate?
For the legal or proper sense, lawful and licit are the strongest synonyms. For the reasonable sense, logical can work in some contexts.
Can legitimate mean reasonable?
Yes. It can describe a concern, question, or reason that is sensible and worth taking seriously.
Is legitimate the same as legal?
Often, yes, but not always. Legal means allowed by law, while legitimate can also mean proper, valid, or reasonable.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-02. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
