legitimate

If something is legitimate, it is real, proper, or allowed by law or rules. Think of a police officer: they have legitimate authority because the law gives them that power. A winning lottery ticket is legitimate if it was bought the right way and the numbers match. You can also talk about a legitimate concern or a legitimate reason, meaning one that makes sense and should be taken seriously. If someone says they are a doctor, you would want to check their credentials to make sure they are legitimate before trusting their advice.

The word "legitimate" carries weight: it points to something being lawful, genuine, or accepted as proper within a system. It comes from the Latin legitimus, meaning "lawful," and over time it has grown to cover more than just legal matters.

At its core, legitimate means conforming to the law, to rules, or to accepted standards. A legitimate government is one that came to power through accepted legal or constitutional processes, while a legitimate business is a real, lawful business rather than a fake or dishonest one. But the word also reaches beyond law and official systems.

"Legitimate" can also describe something that is reasonable or justified. You might have a legitimate concern about the safety of a new product, or a legitimate reason for being late to work, such as a flat tire. In these cases, it suggests that your feelings, actions, or claims are well-founded and understandable.

The word often appears in contexts involving authority, claims, rights, or identity. For example: "She had a legitimate claim to the inheritance," or "He questioned the legitimacy of the election results." Sometimes it is used simply to stress that something is not fake or counterfeit; a legitimate antique is not a modern reproduction but the real thing. Whether you are talking about laws, concerns, businesses, or objects, "legitimate" suggests that something is genuine, lawful, reasonable, or properly recognized.