verb
- to cause something or someone to lose legal authority, validity, or public acceptance
Usage: transitive verb; formal
Examples
- The scandal threatened to delegitimate the government's authority.
- Critics argued that the new policy would delegitimate the institution's credibility.
- Spreading false information can delegitimate democratic processes.
- The court's ruling did not delegitimate the earlier decision.
- Protesters sought to delegitimate the regime through peaceful resistance.
- Inconsistent enforcement of rules can delegitimate the entire system.