legitimacy

/li'dʤitiməsi/

Thân thiện

The judge's ruling confirmed the legitimacy of the election.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality or state of being legitimate. This refers to something being in accordance with established rules, principles, or standards, making it acceptable, valid, or justified.
   • Lawfulness by virtue of being authorized or in accordance with law. This specifically denotes conformity to the law or to rules.
   • Undisputed credibility. This refers to the quality of being accepted as genuine, rightful, or believable.

Usage

• Legitimacy is an uncountable noun. It describes an abstract quality.
• It is commonly used in formal, academic, legal, and political contexts to discuss the validity or justification of authority, claims, actions, or institutions.
• Typical sentence structures include: "the legitimacy of [something]", "to gain/lose/undermine legitimacy", "to question/challenge the legitimacy".

Examples

• The new government worked hard to establish its legitimacy in the eyes of the international community.
• The court will examine the legitimacy of the contract.
• Historians debate the legitimacy of the emperor's claim to the throne.
• The protesters challenged the legitimacy of the election results.

Advanced Usage

• "Moral legitimacy": Refers to justification based on ethical principles rather than just legal rules.
  • The policy lacked moral legitimacy, even if it was technically legal.
• "Perceived legitimacy": Refers to how legitimate something is viewed by people, which can differ from its legal status.
  • The perceived legitimacy of the police force is crucial for public cooperation.

Variants and Related Words

• Legitimate (adj): Conforming to the law or rules; valid, justified.
  • He is the legitimate heir to the estate.
• Legitimize/Legitimise (verb): To make something legitimate or acceptable.
  • The treaty helped to legitimize the new borders.
• Legitimation (noun): The process of making something legitimate.
  • The legitimation of his authority took many years.

Synonyms

• Validity: The quality of being logically or factually sound.
• Lawfulness: The quality of being conforming to or allowed by law.
• Authenticity: The quality of being genuine or true.
• Credibility: The quality of being trusted and believed in.

Antonyms

• Illegitimacy: The state of not being in accordance with the law or accepted standards.
• Invalidity: The state of being not legally or factually acceptable.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• "Crisis of legitimacy": A situation where an institution or government loses the public's belief in its right to rule or exist.
  • The scandal provoked a crisis of legitimacy for the administration.
• "Source of legitimacy": The origin or basis for something's validity (e.g., the constitution, popular vote, tradition).
  • For a democracy, the primary source of legitimacy is the consent of the governed.

Học thuật

Noun

1. undisputed credibility
2. lawfulness by virtue of being authorized or in accordance with law

Từ đồng nghĩa

• authenticity
• genuineness