legitimacy

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The quality of being allowed or accepted by law, rules, or people in authority.

   Grammar: No plural and no 'a'; say 'the legitimacy of the government', not 'a legitimacy'.

   Patterns

   • the legitimacy of something
   • question the legitimacy of something
   • give legitimacy to something

   Critics questioned the legitimacy of the election results.

   The court must decide on the legitimacy of the contract.

   Protesters argued that the new law lacked legitimacy.

2. 2noununcountable

   The fact of being fair, reasonable, or based on good reasons.

   Grammar: Used for arguments, claims and feelings that seem reasonable.

   Patterns

   • the legitimacy of a claim
   • have legitimacy

   There is some legitimacy to her complaint about the delays.

   The report gives legitimacy to workers' concerns about safety.

3. 3noununcountablelegalold-fashioned

   In law, the state of being born to parents who are legally married.

   Grammar: An old legal use; modern family law often avoids it.

   Patterns

   • the legitimacy of a child

   Older laws dealt with the legitimacy of children born outside marriage.

   The question of legitimacy once affected inheritance rights.

Common combinations

question the legitimacy

Many voters questioned the legitimacy of the vote.

political legitimacy

The new government struggled to gain political legitimacy.

lack legitimacy

The decision seemed to lack legitimacy.

give legitimacy to

The treaty gave legitimacy to the new border.

the legitimacy of the court

Lawyers debated the legitimacy of the court's ruling.

Synonyms and how they differ

validity

Focuses on whether something is legally or logically sound; 'legitimacy' often adds the idea of accepted authority.

lawfulness

Means simply that something follows the law, without the sense of public acceptance.

authority

Refers to the power itself rather than the quality of being accepted as rightful.

Opposites

Word family

legitimate adjective

Allowed by law or fair and reasonable.

legitimately adverb

In a lawful or reasonable way.

legitimize verb

To make something accepted as lawful or proper.

illegitimate adjective

Not allowed by law or not acceptable.

Commonly confused: legitimacy or legality?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “legitimacy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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