legitimate
/lɪˈdʒɪtɪmət/ (bre, ipa) · /lɪˈdʒɪtɪmət/ (ame, ipa) · /li-ˈji-tə-mət/ (ame, mw) · /ləˈdʒɪt.ə.məɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ləˈdʒɪt̬.ə.məɪt/ (ame, ipa)
legitimate — 形容詞
- legitimatepositive
- more legitimatecomparative
- most legitimatesuperlative
1. Something that is legitimate is officially allowed or recognized under the legal
合法的
符合法律規定的
Something that is legitimate is officially allowed or recognized under the legal system of a country.
Hari's company proved that its claim to the land was legitimate by showing the original contract.
Hari 的公司出示了原始合約，證明這塊土地的所有權是合法的。
common pattern: prove + that-clause with legitimate
Constanza asked the hospital's legal team to confirm that her overtime pay was a legitimate right under her contract.
Constanza 詢問醫院法務團隊，確認她的加班費根據合約是合法的權利。
collocation: legitimate right
Before renting out the apartment, Kwame checked that all his permits were still legitimate.
在出租公寓之前，Kwame 確認了他所有的許可證仍然是合法的。
The charity was found to be a legitimate organisation that used donations for medical aid.
這家慈善機構被認定為合法組織，捐款都用於醫療援助。
- lawful
more direct and technical term for 'permitted by law'; legitimate often also implies moral acceptability beyond bare legality
- legal
more general and common than legitimate; any action that does not break the law is legal
- authorised
suggests official permission from a specific authority rather than the whole legal system
用法筆記
Often used with nouns such as right, claim, business, government, or document to indicate official legal status.
常見錯誤
2. A legitimate reason, feeling, or aim is one that is fair, just, and makes sense
合理的
有理的；正當的
A legitimate reason, feeling, or aim is one that is fair, just, and makes sense according to widely accepted standards.
Eitan had a legitimate concern about the safety of the new playground equipment.
Eitan 對新遊樂設施的安全性有合理的擔憂。
collocation: legitimate concern
Femi missed the morning lecture because his grandmother was hospitalised, and the professor accepted his excuse as legitimate.
Femi 因為祖母住院而錯過了早上的課，教授接受了這個正當的理由。
collocation: legitimate excuse with specific reason
Shirin raised a legitimate question during the meeting about how the funds would be spent.
Shirin 在會議上提出了一個合理的問題，詢問資金將如何使用。
Aylin had a legitimate goal of starting an after-school tutoring programme for children in her neighbourhood.
Aylin 有一個合理的目標，就是為社區的孩子們開辦課後輔導計畫。
- justifiable
stronger than legitimate, suggesting clear evidence or argument supports the action
- valid
focuses on logical soundness rather than moral fairness
- reasonable
more everyday word; legitimate carries a slightly more formal tone
- unreasonable
direct opposite; lacking fairness or common sense
- unjustifiable
stronger opposite; cannot be defended or excused
用法筆記
Common with nouns like concern, question, reason, complaint, excuse, goal, or objective. Use this sense when no legal framework is involved — the judgement is about fairness and common sense, not law.
常見錯誤
3. Used to describe a child whose parents were in a legal marriage with each other
婚生的
父母合法婚姻所生的
Used to describe a child whose parents were in a legal marriage with each other when the birth happened.
Mr. Watanabe's death sparked an inheritance dispute over whether his eldest son was a legitimate heir.
渡邊先生去世後引發了遺產繼承糾紛，爭論他的長子是否為婚生繼承人。
concrete scenario: inheritance dispute, legitimate heir
Under Japan's old civil code, only legitimate heirs like Taro could inherit the estate, while his half-brother Kenji received nothing.
根據日本舊民法，只有像 Taro 這樣的婚生繼承人可以繼承家族財產，而其同父異母的弟弟 Kenji 則一無所獲。
collocation: legitimate heir with concrete inheritance scenario
After consulting the parish records, the lawyer confirmed that young Élise was a legitimate child under French inheritance law.
在查閱教區紀錄後，律師確認年幼的 Élise 根據法國繼承法屬於婚生子女。
The family records showed that every child in that generation was legitimate according to the church register.
家族記錄顯示，根據教堂的登記冊，那一代的所有孩子都是婚生的。
- born in wedlock
the equivalent everyday phrase; 'legitimate' is more formal and legal
- illegitimate
the direct opposite for a child born to unmarried parents
- born out of wedlock
the less formal alternative to illegitimate
用法筆記
Distinguish from adjective sense 1 (LAWFUL): this sense applies only to a person's birth status. In modern law, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children has been abolished in many jurisdictions, but the terms still appear in historical or legal contexts.
常見錯誤
legitimate — 動詞
- legitimatepresent simple I / you / we / they
- legitimates3rd person singular
- legitimating-ing form
- legitimatedpast simple
1. To make something officially legal, or to give good reasons so that society acce
合法化
使某事物合法化或合理化
To make something officially legal, or to give good reasons so that society accepts it as fair and reasonable.
The new law legitimised the use of electric scooters on public bicycle lanes.
新法律使電動滑板車在公共自行車道上行駛合法化。
pattern: legitimise + noun phrase (activity/thing)
Dr. Mira Okafor's 2022 clinical trial legitimised the use of artemisinin-based therapy for malaria in pregnant women.
Mira Okafor 醫生 2022 年的臨床試驗，使青蒿素療法用於孕婦瘧疾治療獲得了合法性。
pattern: legitimise + practice / therapy with named study
Christopher's gold medal at the Korean national fencing championship legitimised his claim to be the country's top junior athlete.
Christopher 在韓國全國擊劍錦標賽中獲得金牌，證明了他作為國內頂尖青少年選手的實力。
Quan's promotion to team leader legitimised the company's new policy of promoting junior staff based on skill rather than seniority.
Quan 晉升為團隊主管，使公司根據能力而非年資晉升初級員工的新政策獲得了正當性。
文法句型
legitimate + noun phrase
用法筆記
The verb is most commonly used in the '-ise' spelling (legitimise) in British English, or '-ize' (legitimize) in American English. The bare form 'legitimate' as a verb also exists but is rarer in modern usage — most speakers prefer 'legitimise/legitimize'.
常見錯誤
2. To change the legal position of a child whose parents were not married, so that
給予婚生地位
使非婚生子女取得婚生身分
To change the legal position of a child whose parents were not married, so that the child holds the same rights in law as one whose parents were married.
After the couple married, they took legal steps to legitimise their daughter under the new civil code.
這對伴侶結婚後，依據新的民法採取法律步驟讓女兒取得婚生地位。
pattern: legitimise + child + legal context
The court's order legitimised the boy, granting him the right to inherit his father's property.
法院的命令賦予了這個男孩婚生地位，讓他得以繼承父親的財產。
After Dario and Beatriz got married, their son Pedro was automatically legitimised under Brazilian civil law.
Dario 和 Beatriz 結婚後，他們的兒子 Pedro 根據巴西民法自動取得了婚生地位。
The judge ruled that the man's eldest son should be legitimised after proof of paternity was submitted.
法官裁定，在提交親子關係證明後，這名男子的長子應被賦予婚生地位。
- recognise as legitimate
the longer, more transparent phrase used in modern legal language
文法句型
legitimate + child / son / daughter
用法筆記
In modern legal contexts, this term is becoming less common because many countries have removed the legal distinction between children born inside and outside marriage. The verb appears mostly in historical legal documents or older discussions of family law.