May we count your visit with Google Analytics? It uses cookies and sends visit data to Google. You can change this any time under Cookie choices. Privacy

 Browse the A to Z list

Legitimacy

n. thoughtful, resilient formal

What it means

The quality of having a valid, rightful, or broadly accepted basis.

Reach for it when discussing whether authority, a claim, or a process deserves recognition

Transparent counting strengthened the legitimacy of the council election.

Words to choose between 7

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom. Tap a word to see when it fits.
everyday
professional
formal
literary

  • everyday

    acceptance

    Fits when social recognition matters more than formal status

    Careful Acceptance can come from habit or pressure rather than a valid basis.

  • professional

    credibility

    Fits when people need reason to believe a claim or institution

    Careful Credibility concerns trust, not the right to exercise power.

  • professional

    standing

    Fits when a party's recognized right to participate or claim is specific

    Careful Standing is narrower than the legitimacy of an entire institution.

  • professional

    validity

    Fits when logical or procedural soundness is being assessed

    Careful Validity need not include public acceptance or rightful authority.

  • formal

    authority

    Fits when recognized power to decide or direct is central

    Careful Authority may exist in practice while its legitimacy is challenged.

  • formal

    lawfulness

    Fits when compliance with law is the sole question

    Careful Lawfulness does not guarantee moral or democratic legitimacy.

  • literary

    rightfulness

    Fits when the moral claim to a position is emphasized

    Careful Rightfulness is awkward when technical procedural validity is meant.

Opposites 3

  • illegitimacy
  • invalidity
  • usurpation

Common phrases 3

  • democratic legitimacy

    Open participation gave the charter democratic legitimacy.

  • question the legitimacy

    Missing records caused residents to question the legitimacy of the appointment.

  • gain legitimacy

    The new forum began to gain legitimacy after independent oversight arrived.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated