legitimize

They appeared on “The Tonight Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show,” and were among the first crews to legitimize the art form by making a living from it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

In the ancient Near East, the image of God was used to legitimize power of the divinity of kings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

“The Church cannot remain silent when violence is justified in the name of security or when religious language is used to legitimize it,” saying that the church must “defend moral clarity.”

From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026

Cases like Lynch helped legitimize claims for Black citizenship, portraying birthright citizenship as an American tradition.

From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2026

“When I want mountains made out of molehills, when I want to legitimize their puerile actions by paying attention to them, I’ll let you know.”

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

“Having the same last name legitimizes our family status it seems,” Glatzel said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Scientology remains this subgenre’s biggest recurring star, even as we seasonally gape at and praise the high-power talent that legitimizes it.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2024

It argued that the web designer’s victory in that case legitimizes the termination of a female counselor who is married to another woman due to the high school’s freedom of speech.

From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2023

“I think having them call me in and put me on the stand legitimizes my story and who I am,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2023

A poor devil, but we receive him into our set, for he has talent—that legitimizes.

From The Argonauts by Jeremiah Curtin

It was the centerpiece of a landmark Disney deal, which legitimized artificial intelligence for Hollywood royalty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

The court is where these ideas are hatched, and it is legitimized in ways that allow Miller to go all out, 110 percent, every time.

From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2025

“He legitimized Lydia’s Castle from the very beginning.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2024

For Anton, the coming of Caesarism — defined as “authoritarian one-man rule partially legitimized by necessity” — appears almost historically determined.

From Salon ● Jan. 20, 2024

At least as important, King morally and politically legitimized a youth-led agenda of confrontational social change that would define one of the most crucial decades of the American Century.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

“We also have a new technology sphere that’s opening up. It’s legitimizing this need, because modern warfare is extremely different and much more technical than any form of warfare we’ve seen before.”

From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2026

He’s legitimizing its use as psychological scaffolding, which allows a person’s cognitive development to be left perpetually unfinished.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026

Yet the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior had the unexpected effect of legitimizing Greenpeace in the eyes of many people around the world.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025

Holt said the partnership already is legitimizing the platform in the eyes of many viewers.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2023

The discovery of America was crucial in legitimizing innovation because within forty years no one disputed that it really was an unprecedented event, and one that could not be ignored.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton