- 1for which there is a fair and acceptable reason synonym valid, justifiable a legitimate grievance It seemed a perfectly legitimate question. Politicians are legitimate targets for satire. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, seem, consider something, … adverbcompletely, entirely, perfectly, … See full entry
- 2allowed and acceptable according to the law synonym legal the legitimate government of the country Is his business strictly legitimate? opposite illegitimate Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, seem, consider something, … adverbcompletely, entirely, perfectly, … See full entry See related entries: Justice
- 3(of a child) born when its parents are legally married to each other opposite illegitimate See related entries: Family background Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘born of parents lawfully married to each other’): from medieval Latin legitimatus ‘made legal’, from the verb legitimare, from Latin legitimus ‘lawful’, from lex, leg- ‘law’.Extra examples Parents’ concerns about the disease are quite legitimate. People have a legitimate expectation that their politicians should be honest. The court ruled that celebrities’ children were not a legitimate target for press intrusion. The legitimate government was reinstated after the uprising.
legitimate
adjectiveBrE BrE//lɪˈdʒɪtɪmət//; NAmE NAmE//lɪˈdʒɪtɪmət//
Justice, Family backgroundCheck pronunciation: legitimate
