Skip to content

légitime

legitimate, lawful

adjective leh-zhee-TEEM Less Common
People & Society Law

Origin: Latin legitimus (lawful)

Also means

justified, valid

Usage Note

légitime applies to both legal authority (défense légitime = self-defense) and moral justification (une colère légitime = rightful anger). It is invariable in form between masculine and feminine. The noun légitimité means 'legitimacy'.

Examples

"Sa colère est tout à fait légitime."

Natural Translation

His anger is entirely justified.

Explore French by topic