Dictionary

delegitimize en · VERB

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- English legitimate Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English legitimize English delegitimize From de- + legitimize.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make something less legitimate.
   • Iran could not be happier. The more Israel sinks into the West Bank, the more it is delegitimized and isolated, the more the world focuses on Israel’s colonialism rather than Iran’s nuclear enrichment, the more people call for a single democratic state in all of historic Palestine. 2014 May 4, Thomas L. Friedman, “Sheldon: Iran’s Best Friend”, in The New York Times:
   • As that campaign seeks to do, fighting ISIS means delegitimizing Caliphism at home and abroad. 2016, Steve Hilton, More Human: Designing a World Where People Come First:
   • Republicans are pushing legislation to crack down on voting by noncitizens, which happens rarely and is already illegal in federal elections, in a move that reinforces former President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to delegitimize the 2024 results if he loses. 2024 May 21, Luke Broadwater, “House G.O.P. Moves to Crack Down on Noncitizen Voting, Sowing False Narrative”, in The New York Times:
   • “It is a strategy that delegitimizes the work of the public administration, generates long-term dependence and pockets of power that are later difficult to dismantle,” Fernando Nieto Morales, a professor specializing in government and public administration at The College of Mexico, said of the responsibility given to the military. 2024 September 30, Simon Romero, Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, and Paulina Villegas, “As Mexico’s President Steps Down, Some Laud His Legacy, but Others Fear It”, in The New York Times:
2. (transitive) To make something illegal that was previously legal.

Forms

Deriveds

delegitimizer

Relateds

delegitimization · delegitimation

Synonyms

delegitimate · illegalize · delegitimate · criminalize

Translations (4)

es deslegitimar (Translations) · fr délégitimer (Translations) · uk делегітимізува́ти (Translations) · pt deslegitimar (Translations)