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
Robert McC. AdamsThe other kind of steroids are the potent inflammation fighters widely and legitimately used to treat dozens of illnesses.—Paul G. Donohue
Paul G. Donohue… several objections to their book can legitimately be raised.—Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
Christopher Lehmann-HauptExamples of legitimately in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Unfortunately, McIntyre was choke slammed into a car on SmackDown, which led to glass legitimately going into his eye.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
People have legitimately, seriously, asked me about it.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
Strand Larsen is slowly winning over critics who legitimately questioned his contribution beyond his impressive goalscoring in his debut Premier League season.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
This is done when someone cannot legitimately criticize you or your work.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimately
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Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
People have legitimately, seriously, asked me about it.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
Strand Larsen is slowly winning over critics who legitimately questioned his contribution beyond his impressive goalscoring in his debut Premier League season.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
This is done when someone cannot legitimately criticize you or your work.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legitimately
Cite this Entry
“Legitimately.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legitimately. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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