legitimately
adverb
le·git·i·mate·ly
li-ˈji-tə-mət-lē 
: in a legitimate manner : according to what is lawful, permitted, appropriate, or reasonable
money earned legitimately [=legally]
a question that can be legitimately asked
… objects of ritual significance that were common tribal property seldom if ever could have come legitimately into nontribal hands.—
Robert McC. Adams
Robert McC. AdamsThe other kind of steroids are the potent inflammation fighters widely and legitimately used to treat dozens of illnesses.—Paul G. Donohue
Paul G. Donohue… several objections to their book can legitimately be raised.—Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
Christopher Lehmann-HauptExamples of legitimately in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Of the five candidates, only Cao and Garcia said Biden legitimately won the presidency, bucking Trump’s false claims that Democrats stole the election.
—Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
In France today, the National Rally party of Marine Le Pen no longer advocates policies or has leadership that can legitimately be called racist.
—Hugo Gurdon, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 June 2024
Of all the new emotions introduced, Anxiety is the only one legitimately explored rather than just cleverly defined, and Hawke’s frazzled performance does a fantastic job of personifying a quasi-antagonistic feeling that wants the best for Riley but will ruin her life if allowed to take over.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 12 June 2024
The number of shows that can do those things and also be legitimately endearing for parents?
—Vulture Editors, Vulture, 11 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for legitimately 
Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
In France today, the National Rally party of Marine Le Pen no longer advocates policies or has leadership that can legitimately be called racist.
—Hugo Gurdon, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 June 2024
Of all the new emotions introduced, Anxiety is the only one legitimately explored rather than just cleverly defined, and Hawke’s frazzled performance does a fantastic job of personifying a quasi-antagonistic feeling that wants the best for Riley but will ruin her life if allowed to take over.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 12 June 2024
The number of shows that can do those things and also be legitimately endearing for parents?
—Vulture Editors, Vulture, 11 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for legitimately
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legitimately.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near legitimately
Cite this Entry
“Legitimately.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legitimately. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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