the quality of being legal : 2. the quality of being reasonable and acceptable: 3. Legitimacy, popular acceptance of a government, political regime, or system of governance. The word legitimacy can be interpreted in either a normative way or a “positive” (see positivism) way. Actors and institutions constantly work to legitimize their power, and … May 14, 2026 · Political legitimacy is what makes government rule acceptable — built through elections, tradition, or performance, and fragile when trust erodes. Sep 17, 2025 · Legitimacy, in its simplest sense, is the public’s acceptance that a governing authority has the right to rule. It is not just about legal power or physical force – it is about belief.
