legitimate

comparative more legitimate · superlative most legitimate

1. In accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements.

   Rodwell was sent off by referee Martin Atkinson - who has shown 15 red cards since the start of last season - after 23 minutes for what appeared to be a legitimate challenge on Suarez.

   2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0 - 2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport

   1 more example

   According to the tweet, the encounter began with "a traffic stop for unlawful speed." If so, then the initial stop was legitimate, but in and of itself that wouldn't be probable cause to search the car. It does give an officer the right to look inside, and if contraband is in plain view, that would be probable cause. Here we don't know whether the bag full of drugs marked "BAG FULL OF DRUGS" was laying out in plain view, but it seems entirely possible.

   2020 February 5, Kevin Underhill, “Bag Marked "Bag Full of Drugs" Allegedly Full of Drugs”, in Lowering the Bar, archived from the original on 16 Dec 2022

   Synonyms: lawful, legal, de jure, lawful, legal, licit, rightful · Antonyms: illegitimate

2. Conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards; valid.

   legitimate reasoning; a legitimate standard or method

   1 more example

   Tillotson still keeps his place as a legitimate English classic.

   1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC

   Synonyms: legit, licit, acceptable, allowable, legit, leveful, licit, permissible

3. Authentic, real, genuine.

   legitimate poems of Chaucer; legitimate inscriptions

   1 more example

   The truth is, when we fail to protect legitimate rights of others and continue to expand the net of lies and defamation, every one would become victims one day including ourselves.

   2020 December 20, Wen Sirui, “The Danger of One Voice from Mainstream Media”, in Minghui

   Synonyms: bona fide, pukka, actual, authentic, bona fide, genuine, legit, lubish · Antonyms: illegitimate, false, artificial, bad, bogus, bollocks, concocted, counterfeit

4. Marital.
   1. Lawfully begotten, i.e. born to a married couple or later legitimated.First known use mid-14th c.

      Synonyms: rightful · Antonyms: illegitimate

   2. Legally married.

      Besides his four legitimate wives, the caliph had dozens of concubines.

      Synonyms: rightful

5. Relating to hereditary rights.
6. Belonging or relating to the legitimate theater.

plural legitimates

1. A person born to a legally married couple.

   His overweening pride received another shock through his new friends the legitimates.

   1830, William Hone, Pamphlets and Parodies on Political Subjects

   2 more examples

   But should a “holy alliance of legitimates” extinguish it, it will be but for a season.

   1831, Alexander Scott Withers, Chronicles of Border Warfare

   This extraordinarily mixed family of legitimates and illegitimates seems to have maintained a certain kind of harmony.

   1898, Sydney George Fisher, The True Benjamin Franklin

present singular third person legitimates · participle present legitimating · participle past legitimated · past legitimated

1. transitiveTo make legitimate, lawful, or valid; especially, to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means.First known use 1590

   Synonyms: legitimize