The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - legitimateadj.

1) valid, proper, right, rightful, authorized, legal, genuine, real, true, authentic: Which one of them was the legitimate Anastasia? 2 lawful, licit, legal, by law, de jure, statutory: Bonnie Prince Charlie claimed to be the legitimate ruler of Scotland. 3) commonsensical, sensible, reasonable, proper, correct, acceptable, valid, logical, justifiable, just, fair: The question is perfectly legitimate and deserves a proper answer. --v. 4) legitimize, legitimatize, legalize, authorize, sanction, warrant, validate, certify: By signing before two witnesses, she legitimated her will.