English · Word Candidate

legitimacy

/ləˈd͡ʒɪtɪməsi/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: legitimacies

Sense 1

Meaning · English

The quality or state of being legitimate or valid; validity.

Noun

The legitimacy based on a revolutionary essence was replaced by legitimacy with an ultranational, ultra-Yugoslav character.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Meaning · English

The quality or state of being legitimate or valid; validity. — Public acceptance of an institution, such as a government, corporation, or system.

Noun

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. warned that if the court failed to stop the president, its own “institutional legitimacy” would be threatened.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

What does “legitimacy” mean?

The quality or state of being legitimate or valid; validity.

Is “legitimacy” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.