English · Word Candidate

legitimate

/lɪˈd͡ʒɪt.ɪ.mət/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: legitimates · legitimating · legitimated

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

In accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

theo luật hoặc quy định hợp pháp

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

Rodwell was sent off by referee Martin Atkinson - who has shown 15 red cards since the start of last season - after 23 minutes for what appeared to be a legitimate challenge on Suarez.

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).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards; valid.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

tuân thủ nguyên tắc hoặc quy chuẩn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

legitimate reasoning; a legitimate standard or method

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).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A person born to a legally married couple.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

người sinh ra từ cặp vợ chồng hợp pháp

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

But should a “holy alliance of legitimates” extinguish it, it will be but for a season.

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).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To make legitimate, lawful, or valid; especially, to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

làm cho hợp pháp hoặc có giá trị

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Sources & notes

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

Common questions

What does “legitimate” mean?

In accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements.

Is “legitimate” formal or informal?

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