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

The other kind of steroids are the potent inflammation fighters widely and legitimately used to treat dozens of illnesses.—Paul G. Donohue

… several objections to their book can legitimately be raised.—Christopher Lehmann-Haupt

Examples of legitimately in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Simply sealing a model inside an isolated test environment is not enough, because to learn real-world tasks, a model may legitimately need to reach the internet, use hundreds of software tools, run its own code, and even spin up other machines. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 Trump’s false claims have resonated with Republican voters, a majority of whom believe Biden was not legitimately elected despite all evidence to the contrary. — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 Trump's claims have resonated with Republican voters who believe Biden was not legitimately elected despite all evidence to the contrary. — Gary Fields, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026 Sponsor intelligence is expertise legitimately developed through investment, ownership and governance. — Kelvin Cheema, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for legitimately

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of legitimately was in 1593

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legitimate

legitimately

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Style

“Legitimately.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legitimately. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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legitimately

adverb

Examples of legitimately in a Sentence

Word History

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