Legitimacy Meaning
/ləˈd͡ʒɪtɪməsi/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe quality or state of being legitimate or valid; validity.
nounThe quality or state of being legitimate or valid; validity., Public acceptance of an institution, such as a government, corporation, or system.
Sentence Examples
He has no legitimacy.
Algeria has recovered its legitimacy.
Fair trials ensure the legitimacy of holding war criminals accountable.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The court questioned the ____ of the contract because it was signed under threat.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the election results was questioned by the opposition party, who claimed that there was fraud.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English legitimate English -cy English legitimacy From legitimate + -cy.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The legitimacy based on a revolutionary essence was replaced by legitimacy with an ultranational, ultra-Yugoslav character."
— 2000, Stuart Nagel, Handbook of Global International Policy, page 193:
"Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. warned that if the court failed to stop the president, its own “institutional legitimacy” would be threatened."
— 2026 April 18, Jodi Kantor, Adam Liptak, “The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court”, in The New York Times, retrieved 22 Apr 2026:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The court questioned the ____ of the contract because it was signed under threat.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the election results was questioned by the opposition party, who claimed that there was fraud.