Examples of legitimacy in a Sentence
the legitimacy of the military dictatorship was not recognized by most other nations
Recent Examples on the Web
Lawmakers already invoked the procedural last year, using it to block the forcing of a vote in March 2025 on the legitimacy of the national emergency the president invoked in order to levy duties on China, Canada and Mexico.
—
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 11 Feb. 2026
The case rendered the law temporarily moribund, a discredited artifact whose future use would require a complete rehabilitation of its legitimacy.
—Evandro Cruz Silva, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
Conversations around reparations in the United States are not new, nor are conversations about the legitimacy of Puerto Rico being its own country, separate of American influence and control.
—Taylor Crumpton, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
For the Chinese Communist Party, which stakes its claim to legitimacy on defeating Japanese invaders during World War II, that would be an unforgivable outrage.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
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Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 11 Feb. 2026
The case rendered the law temporarily moribund, a discredited artifact whose future use would require a complete rehabilitation of its legitimacy.
—Evandro Cruz Silva, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
Conversations around reparations in the United States are not new, nor are conversations about the legitimacy of Puerto Rico being its own country, separate of American influence and control.
—Taylor Crumpton, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
For the Chinese Communist Party, which stakes its claim to legitimacy on defeating Japanese invaders during World War II, that would be an unforgivable outrage.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for legitimacy
Cite this Entry
“Legitimacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legitimacy. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
legitimacy
noun
le·git·i·ma·cy
li-ˈjit-ə-mə-sē 
: the quality or state of being legitimate
Legal Definition
legitimacy
noun
le·git·i·ma·cy
li-ˈji-tə-mə-sē
: the quality or state of being legitimate
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