Legitimate
Legitimate adjective - Permitted by law.
Usage example: the mistrust created among investors by the financial scandal has hurt even companies engaged in wholly legitimate business practices
Lawful is a synonym for legitimate in law topic. In some cases you can use "Lawful" instead an adjective "Legitimate", when it comes to topics like legal, behaviour, permission, rightful. popular alternative
Lawful
Lawful adjective - Permitted by law.
Usage example: hunting is a lawful activity only if you have the proper license
Legitimate is a synonym for lawful in legal topic. You can use "Legitimate" instead an adjective "Lawful", if it concerns topics such as behaviour, property, permission, law. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Cite this Source
Lawful and Legitimate. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/legitimate/lawful
Legitimate & Lawful. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/legitimate/lawful>.
Lawful or Legitimate. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/legitimate/lawful.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "legitimate" and "lawful" have occurred on timeline