as in to enable
to make something real, accepted, or official
slang words legitimized by usage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of legitimize
Trump hasn’t merely ‘legitimized’ the crypto industry, but has finally spelled out to the world what is overwhelmingly the most important part of this asset class.
—
Edan Yago, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
The Biden administration didn't think such talks would yield results and worried about legitimizing Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terror group, a former official tells Axios.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 7 Mar. 2025
All that was missing was a grand unifying theory — a vocabulary to give voice to these intense cultural frustrations and draw a legitimizing connection between them and the Constitution.
—Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
Carefully crafted to bolster egos and legitimize harms.
—Christine Winter, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimize
Edan Yago, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
The Biden administration didn't think such talks would yield results and worried about legitimizing Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terror group, a former official tells Axios.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 7 Mar. 2025
All that was missing was a grand unifying theory — a vocabulary to give voice to these intense cultural frustrations and draw a legitimizing connection between them and the Constitution.
—Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
Carefully crafted to bolster egos and legitimize harms.
—Christine Winter, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legitimize
Verb
-
Indians generally revere elephants and tolerate a great deal of hardship to enable coexistence—about 500 humans are killed due to human-elephant conflict annually there.—
Nitin Sekar,
ArsTechnica,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The extreme sacrifice that drives the exploding ants spotlights nature’s ability to enable survival at all costs.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The Senate resolution, introduced by Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, would repeal Trump's February emergency declaration authorizing the tariffs.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
-
This bill authorizes the National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) to appoint legal counsel as a direct report within the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS).—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Use free tools like social media, surveys, or pre-sales to validate demand quickly and cheaply.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Numerical evaluations are often used to validate the existence of a pure meritocracy, in which people are judged by the quality of their work rather than their identities.—
Laura Clawson,
JSTOR Daily,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Whether a defendant who produces credible evidence of such a final, unanimous, and unannounced acquittal is entitled to a post-trial hearing to substantiate the fact of such acquittal.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
That includes Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which says students are entitled to reasonable accommodations, such as scheduled breaks for a child with diabetes to have a snack or check their insulin levels.—
Jonaki Mehta,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The campaign registers domains that are close enough to legitimate websites to trick users into clicking, or at least to stop them flagging the deceit.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
-
The age of Western empire brought with it ambitious efforts by European states to organize and legitimate their imperial conquests in a system of international law.—
Fernanda Pirie,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Oct. 2021
Verb
-
Furthermore, what determines the criteria for ‘Britishness,’ which organizations would qualify for funding, why would a fund be better placed to determine what audiences want to watch, which individuals would be expected to allocate funding, how would the funding be spent?—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Buoyed by ending the club’s 70-year wait for a major trophy in the Carabao Cup final last month, they are refocused on finishing high enough to qualify for a second Champions League campaign in three seasons.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The House voted Tuesday to effectively kill a discharge petition championed by Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida that forced a vote on a measure that would have permitted remote voting for new parents.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Under former trade agreements, China committed to releasing 34 foreign films per year under revenue-share terms, with overseas studios permitted to a 25 percent share of ticket sales.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legitimize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legitimize. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share