noun. The quality or fact of being legitimate.

noun. The state of being legitimate; conformity to law, rule, or principle; natural or logical result; regularity; propriety; correctness: as, the legitimacy of a government, of an argument, or of a conclusion.

noun. Specifically Lawfulness of birth: opposed to bastardy.

noun. Directness or regularity of descent, as affecting the right of succession. See legitimist, 2.

noun. The state, or quality, of being legitimate, or in conformity with law; hence, the condition of having been lawfully begotten, or born in wedlock.

noun. the quality of being legitimate or valid; validity

noun. undisputed credibility

noun. lawfulness by virtue of being authorized or in accordance with law

"Whereas authority refers to a specific position in an established government, the term legitimacy is used when describing a system of government itself - where government may be generalized to mean the wider 'sphere of influence.'"

lawfulness  

illegitimacy  

accountability  authenticity  autonomy  commitment  competence  

absolute power  absolute realism  absolutism  actionability  admissibility