
Legitimate
Conforming to the law or established rules; legally valid or genuine.
adjectiveLegitimate
Conforming to the law or established rules; legally valid or genuine.
adjective
Imagine This
Imagine a judge stamping a contract with a seal that reads LEGITIMATE. The document is checked against state law and an official registry, and once stamped, everyone accepts it as valid and genuine.
Sounds Like
lih-JIT-uh-mit
Looks Like
similar to legal; informal shorthand 'legit'
Remember This
Originates from Latin legitimus meaning 'lawful,' via Old French. Related terms include legitimacy, legitimate, and illegitimate.
Other Forms
Connect With
lawful, legal, valid, genuine, authentic
Note
Legitimate can describe legality, the legitimacy of a claim, or the reasonableness of an argument. Do not confuse with 'legible' (easy to read) or 'licit' (permissible by law in a narrower sense). Opposite sense is 'illegitimate.'
