legitimate
gb/lɪd͡ʒˈɪtəmɪt/ us/lɪd͡ʒˈɪtəmɪt/
B2
English
~ 8100
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
allowed or recognized by law
Allowed by the law or by official rules.
Usage pattern:
[action] is legitimate under [law/rule]
Common mistake:
Learners often use only 'legal' and forget that 'legitimate' is very common for things like 'legitimate business', 'legitimate authority', or 'legitimate interests'. Note that 'legitimate' can be slightly broader than 'legal', sometimes including ideas of proper authorization or recognition by accepted rules, not just written law.
Synonyms
legal (Very close in meaning; focuses more directly on being allowed by law, without the wider moral or social sense that 'legitimate' can sometimes suggest.)
|
lawful (Formal; strongly emphasizes strict obedience to written law.)
Antonyms
illegal (Direct opposite; clearly not allowed by law.)
|
illegitimate (Can mean not legal or not properly authorized; often used for power, regimes, or children in a legal/historical context.)
Collocations
legitimate authority
|legitimate government
|legitimate business
|legitimate interests
|legitimate power
|legitimate use
Themes
law
|politics
|business
Examples
- The court ruled that the police search was not legitimate under the constitution.
- They raised questions about whether the company’s tax deductions were legitimate under federal law.
- Only legitimate medical expenses can be claimed in this insurance policy.
- Immigration officials must decide which documents count as legitimate proof of identity.
- The protesters argued that the government was no longer a legitimate authority after the coup.
Learner examples
- Gambling is legitimate in this country, but it is illegal in many others.
- The company needs a legitimate license to sell medicine.
- Is it legitimate to record people without telling them?
- The judge said the contract was not legitimate.
- You must show legitimate documents when you cross the border.
adjective
B2
property
2
reasonable, fair, and acceptable
Reasonable and accepted as fair or right by most people.
Usage pattern:
[someone] has a legitimate [concern/reason/question]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'legitimate' only means 'legal' and miss this very common meaning of 'reasonable' or 'fair'. In phrases like 'a legitimate question' or 'a legitimate concern', it is usually about logic and fairness, not law.
Synonyms
valid (Common in formal or semi-formal speech; focuses on being logically or factually sound.)
|
justified (Emphasizes that there are good reasons for something, often in response to criticism or doubt.)
Antonyms
unreasonable (Opposite in that it lacks good sense or fairness.)
|
groundless (Opposite in that it has no good reasons or evidence behind it.)
Collocations
legitimate concern
|legitimate reason
|legitimate question
|legitimate expectation
|perfectly legitimate
|legitimate criticism
Themes
argumentation
|emotions
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Parents have a legitimate concern about how much data apps collect from their children.
- It’s a legitimate question to ask where all the donations actually went.
- Employees have a legitimate expectation of being paid on time.
- She raised several legitimate objections to the proposed policy.
- Anger is a legitimate response when you feel you’ve been cheated.
Learner examples
- You have a legitimate reason to be upset.
- That is a legitimate question, and I will answer it.
- His fear of losing his job is legitimate.
- Customers have a legitimate right to know what is in their food.
- Her complaint is legitimate, not just noise.
adjective
B2
property
3
genuine and not fake or shady
Real and honest, not fake and not trying to cheat people.
Usage pattern:
[something] is a legitimate [business/offer/source]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this sense with simply 'legal'. Here the focus is that something is real, honest, and not a scam. For example, a 'legitimate website' is both legal and not trying to trick you.
Synonyms
genuine (Focuses on being real and not fake; slightly less about legality.)
|
authentic (Often used when something is original or truly what it claims to be.)
Antonyms
fake (Not real; made to look real but not honest.)
|
bogus (Informal; means clearly false or dishonest.)
Collocations
legitimate business
|legitimate company
|legitimate source
|legitimate website
|legitimate email
|legitimate job
Themes
business
|crime
|technology
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Always check whether the online store is a legitimate business before entering your credit card details.
- The email looked like a legitimate message from the bank, but it was actually a phishing attempt.
- Investigators are trying to separate legitimate charities from scams.
- He struggled to find a legitimate job after years of working in the black market.
- Not every website that sells cheap tickets is a legitimate ticket agent.
Learner examples
- Is this website legitimate, or is it a scam?
- She wants a legitimate job, not illegal work.
- The police checked if the company was a legitimate business.
- This is a legitimate email from your bank, not spam.
- They only buy medicine from legitimate sources.
adjective
formal
C1
property
4
born to parents who are married
Born when your parents are married to each other, used mainly in law or history.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is the legitimate [son/daughter/heir] of [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this meaning exists and may misunderstand phrases like 'legitimate heir' in historical or legal texts. Note that calling a person 'illegitimate' can be offensive in modern everyday speech and is mainly used when talking about old laws or customs.
Synonyms
lawful (In this context, used mainly in legal or historical writing about inheritance and status.)
Antonyms
illegitimate (Traditional legal term for a child born outside marriage; now often avoided as rude or old-fashioned.)
Collocations
legitimate child
|legitimate heir
|legitimate son
|legitimate daughter
|legitimate line
|legitimate issue
Themes
family
|law
|history
|relationships
Examples
- Under the old law, only legitimate children could inherit the family estate.
- He was recognized as the king’s only legitimate son.
- The novel explores the lives of both legitimate and illegitimate heirs in a royal family.
- In many countries today, the legal difference between legitimate and illegitimate children has been removed.
- They later married, and the child was declared legitimate by the court.
Learner examples
- In the past, only a legitimate child could get the family land.
- He is the king’s legitimate heir.
- The law once treated illegitimate and legitimate children very differently.
- Now, in many places, all children have the same rights, whether legitimate or not.
- The court said that the boy was a legitimate son of the man.
Verb
formal
C1
action
5
to make legal or acceptable
To make something legal or make people see it as right and acceptable.
Usage pattern:
to legitimate [action/practice/authority]
Common mistake:
Learners often use only 'make legal' or 'justify' and do not realize 'legitimate' can be a verb in formal writing. Also, they may confuse it with 'legalize': 'legalize' is about changing the law; 'legitimate' can be about law but also about public or moral acceptance.
Synonyms
legitimize (More common modern verb; almost the same meaning, also formal.)
|
justify (Broader; focuses on giving reasons to make something seem right, not necessarily on law or official status.)
Antonyms
delegitimize (Means to remove the sense that something is right, valid, or acceptable.)
Collocations
legitimate the use of force
|legitimate authority
|legitimate a practice
|legitimate political power
|legitimate the regime
Themes
law
|politics
|society
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Some fear that new laws will legitimate mass surveillance by the state.
- The treaty helped to legitimate the new government in the eyes of the international community.
- They argued that religious language was being used to legitimate political violence.
- Over time, court decisions can legitimate social changes that once seemed radical.
- The company tried to legitimate its data collection practices by updating its privacy policy.
Learner examples
- The new rules legitimate the use of cameras in the office.
- He says history should not be used to legitimate war.
- The election will legitimate the new leaders if it is fair.
- These laws legitimate smoking bans in public places.
- Some people think the policy legitimates unfair treatment.
Grammar
Dictionary form
legitimate
IPA
GB/lɪd͡ʒˈɪtəmɪt/
US/lɪd͡ʒˈɪtəmɪt/
Syllables & stress
le - git - im - ate (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (git)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: legitimate
Verb
- Base: legitimate
- 3rd Person Singular: legitimates
- Present Participle: legitimating
- Past: legitimated
Word family
Forms
legitimates
verb
legitimating
verb
legitimated
verb
Core family
legitimacy
noun C1
legitimately
adverb
Related words
legitimize
verb C1
legit
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
Advanced or less common
legitimization
noun
delegitimize
verb C1
Expressions
legitimate business
1/lɪd͡ʒˈɪtəmɪt bˈɪznɪs/
fixed phrase
a lawful and honest company
A real company that follows the law and is not a scam.
Examples
- At first the shop looked suspicious, but it turned out to be a legitimate business.
- They used the restaurant as a cover for crime, but it also did some legitimate business.
legitimate concern
1/lɪd͡ʒˈɪtəmɪt kənsˈɚn/
fixed phrase
a reasonable cause for worry
A worry that makes sense and has good reasons behind it.
Examples
- Privacy advocates say people have a legitimate concern about how their data is used.
- It’s a legitimate concern, and the company needs to address it.
legitimate government
1/lɪd͡ʒˈɪtəmɪt ɡˈʌvɚnmənt/
fixed phrase
formal
a rightful and lawful government
A government that has legal power and is accepted as the proper ruler of a country.
Examples
- Many countries refused to recognize the military junta as the legitimate government.
- After the election, observers declared that a legitimate government was finally in place.
legitimate interest
1/lɪd͡ʒˈɪtəmɪt ˈɪntɚˌɛst/
fixed phrase
technical
a legally recognized interest
An interest or benefit that the law or rules say is fair and should be protected.
Examples
- The company argued that it has a legitimate interest in processing customer data for security purposes.
- Journalists have a legitimate interest in reporting on matters of public safety.
legitimate reason
1/lɪd͡ʒˈɪtəmɪt ɹˈizən/
fixed phrase
a fair and acceptable reason
A good and fair explanation for why something is done or happens.
Examples
- Do you have a legitimate reason for being late three days in a row?
- There was no legitimate reason to deny her application.