as in authorized
to make something real, accepted, or official
slang words legitimized by usage
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Recent Examples of legitimized
Trump signed the Genius Act in July, legislation that legitimized the technology.
—
Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
In many ways, your involvement as an investor in and adviser to Vice legitimized the company and its larger-than-life leader, Shane Smith.
—Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
This was legitimized as a way to protect the country from further invasions – which the French were constantly threatening to do.
—Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
Parcells legitimized the franchise upon his arrival as a Super Bowl-winning coach in 1993 and took the Patriots to the playoffs in two of his four seasons.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Notably, numerous high-profile cable news has-beens have legitimized Owens' outrageous laundering of a left-wing political assassination into an anti-Semitic caper.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
If there was any question, the ownership of the top spot was legitimized by the company's recent rights deal with Paramount Plus.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
This article is not useful to most of us, because 90% of towns and cities in this country are locked into a single ISP, effectively local monopolies legitimized by the feckless FCC, Congress, and state legislatures.
—Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 9 Aug. 2025
Congressional hearings in 2022 and 2023 further legitimized the topic, with intelligence officials emphasizing national security concerns.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
In many ways, your involvement as an investor in and adviser to Vice legitimized the company and its larger-than-life leader, Shane Smith.
—Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
This was legitimized as a way to protect the country from further invasions – which the French were constantly threatening to do.
—Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
Parcells legitimized the franchise upon his arrival as a Super Bowl-winning coach in 1993 and took the Patriots to the playoffs in two of his four seasons.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
Notably, numerous high-profile cable news has-beens have legitimized Owens' outrageous laundering of a left-wing political assassination into an anti-Semitic caper.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
If there was any question, the ownership of the top spot was legitimized by the company's recent rights deal with Paramount Plus.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
This article is not useful to most of us, because 90% of towns and cities in this country are locked into a single ISP, effectively local monopolies legitimized by the feckless FCC, Congress, and state legislatures.
—Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 9 Aug. 2025
Congressional hearings in 2022 and 2023 further legitimized the topic, with intelligence officials emphasizing national security concerns.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimized
Verb
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There’s also been little, if any, crossover for MLB teams to the affiliate networks, once again because of the expense and number of games, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly.—
Lillian Rizzo,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
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The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about the confidential registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission.—
Bernard Condon,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Knowing the cause of a delay helps passengers understand if they are entitled to compensation.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize.—
Staff Reports,
The Providence Journal,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That vision of worldwide economic and cultural interdependence that enabled the proliferation of biennials in the ’90s has been steadily eroding amid the recent rise in nativism and far-right movements in the United States and Europe.—
Smooth Nzewi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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Though Farrukhsiyar was emperor, the real authority during his reign rested largely with the powerful Sayyid brothers, whose military backing had enabled his accession.—
Tamanna Nangia,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Parks also connected with musician Lucy Dacus, who similarly validated her decisions.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
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The proof-of-concept has already been validated, and the product is now entering the industrialization phase.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But in January, the state Supreme Court ordered the 3rd District Court of Appeals to take another look at the case, and to demand that the Nevada County district attorney’s office explain, on the record, why it shouldn’t be sanctioned.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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The 2019 law carries the possibility of fines and license suspension, but no one has been sanctioned under it.—
Lindsay Whitehurst,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Under their original agreement, fans were going to be able to use the Sora app to create their own AI versions of 200-plus Disney characters like Iron Man, Cinderella and Mickey Mouse licensed to OpenAI that would be populated on Disney+.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
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In Alabama, meanwhile, a lawsuit that has been ongoing since 2023 challenges a regulation requiring birth centers — facilities where midwives oversee deliveries and administer pre- and postnatal care — to be licensed as hospitals.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The lawsuit claims that Missouri lawmakers used no rational basis to categorize which counties qualified for a 5% cap, a freeze or neither.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
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Their battle is viewed as so wide open with just over eight weeks till the June 2 primary that the county Democratic Party declared each of the four candidates — all Democrats — qualified but declined to pick one.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To the extent permitted by applicable law, all judgments or awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket damages (excluding attorneys’ fees) associated with participation in this Promotion and shall not include any indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
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France and Spain have reportedly denied permission for US warplanes to use their airspace, Italy has blocked access to a base, and Britain has permitted use of its facilities only for defensive purposes.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legitimized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimized. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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