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Definition of "legitimacy" []

  • The quality or fact of being legitimate. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "legitimacy" in a sentence
  • "Whereas authority refers to a specific position in an established government, the term legitimacy is used when describing a system of government itself - where government may be generalized to mean the wider 'sphere of influence.'"
  • ""A Muslim prayer leader addressing worshippers in the capital seized on Saleh's use of the word "legitimacy" and asked "what legitimacy is this man talking about?"
  • "Republicans made the conscious decision to turn healthcare into a referendum on legitimacy, and I believe that much of that refusal to accept his legitimacy is fueled by the fact that he is not white."