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

This year, spooky season might feel legitimately haunted by the ghosts of hurts, betrayals, and resentments past. — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Sep. 2026

The cast is game, too, particularly Son Sang-kyu, who is very funny as a feckless chatterbox with a thing for retro record players, and Moon Choi, who plays the moodier, more legitimately aggrieved of two Song daughters. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2026

But which of the NFL's eight winless teams legitimately should panic? — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026

The image of Norton on a bucking bronco points to another reason why the growing pool of creative talent that Jaques has lured into his path — legitimately or sneakily — have stuck around. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above