il legittimo

Meaning (in English)

Legittimo means legitimate / lawful / rightful—something that is in accordance with the law, rules, or accepted principles, or something that is justified and acceptable.

Common English equivalents:

• lawful, legal
• legitimate
• rightful, valid
• justified, reasonable (in the sense of “well-founded”)

Main meanings

1. Lawful / in accordance with the law

   • un governo legittimo = a legitimate (lawfully established) government
   • un atto legittimo = a lawful/valid act

2. Justified / well-founded (a claim, fear, doubt, expectation, etc.)

   • un legittimo sospetto = a justified suspicion
   • una legittima preoccupazione = a legitimate concern

3. Rightful by status or rules (often in legal or formal contexts)

   • legittimo proprietario = rightful owner
   • Family/law context: figlio legittimo = legitimate child (historically: born to married parents; can sound dated or legalistic today)

Parts / form

• Root relates to legge (“law”), from Latin lex (“law”).
• Adjective endings:
  • legittimo (masculine singular)
  • legittima (feminine singular)
  • legittimi (masculine plural)
  • legittime (feminine plural)

Italian synonyms (depending on meaning)

• For “lawful/according to the law”: legale, lecito, conforme alla legge, regolare
• For “rightful”: giusto, fondato, titolato, di diritto
• For “justified/well-founded”: giustificato, fondato, motivato, ragionevole

Italian antonyms (if applicable)

• For “unlawful/illegal”: illegittimo, illegale, illecito
• For “unjustified/unfounded”: ingiustificato, infondato, immotivato
• For “invalid/irregular” (contextual): nullo, irregolare