legitimate

adjective
UK: /lɪˈdʒɪt.ɪ.mət/
US: /ləˈdʒɪt̬.ə.mət/

  1. Allowed by law or official rules.

    1. The king had a legitimate heir to the throne. [ ] [ ]
    2. Is this business a legitimate operation, or is it some kind of scam? [ ] [ ]

  2. Reasonable and acceptable.

    1. He has a legitimate reason for being late. [ ] [ ]
    2. The company needed a legitimate excuse to raise their prices again. [ ] [ ]

  3. Born of parents who are married to each other.

    1. The family wanted a legitimate child to inherit the estate. [ ] [ ]
    2. The birth certificate proves that she is the legitimate offspring of the couple. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

lawful authentic legal justifiable valid genuine
legitimate transitive-verb

  1. To make something legitimate or legal.

    1. The government tried to legitimate the new tax law. [ ] [ ]
    2. The court decision legitimate the company's business practices. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "legitimate" in English means: Allowed by law or official rules., Reasonable and acceptable., Born of parents who are married to each other..

The phonetic transcription of "legitimate" is /lɪˈdʒɪt.ɪ.mət/ in British English and /ləˈdʒɪt̬.ə.mət/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "legitimate": lawful, authentic, legal, justifiable, valid, genuine.

Example usage of "legitimate": "The king had a legitimate heir to the throne.". More examples on the page.