Legitimate vs Authoritative - What's the difference?
legitimate | authoritative |
In accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements; lawful.
*
Conforming to known principles, or established or accepted rules or standards; valid.
* (rfdate) Macaulay
Authentic, real, genuine.
(senseid)Lawfully begotten, i.e., born to a legally married couple.
Relating to hereditary rights.
To make legitimate, lawful, or valid; especially, to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means.
Arising or originating from a figure of authority
Highly accurate or definitive; treated or worthy of treatment as a scholarly authority
Having a commanding style.
As adjectives the difference between legitimate and authoritative
is that legitimate is in accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements; lawful while authoritative is arising or originating from a figure of authority.As a verb legitimate
is to make legitimate, lawful, or valid; especially, to put in the position or state of a legitimate person before the law, by legal means.legitimate
English
Etymology 1
From . Originally "lawfully begotten," from (etyl) legitimer and directly fromAdjective
(en adjective)- legitimate''' reasoning; a '''legitimate standard or method
- Tillotson still keeps his place as a legitimate English classic.
- legitimate''' poems of Chaucer; '''legitimate inscriptions
Synonyms
(checksyns) * lawful, legal, rightfulAntonyms
* illegitimate, falseEtymology 2
Legal Latin, from legitimatus, past participle of (legitimo). See above for antecedentsVerb
(legitimat)Usage notes
* Forms of (legitimize) are about twice as common as forms of the verb legitimate in the US. * Forms of legitimate are somewhat more common than the forms of the verbs (legitimize) and (legitimise) in the UK combined.Synonyms
* legitimizeDerived terms
* delegitimateExternal links
* ----authoritative
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- The authoritative rules in this school come not from the headmaster but from the aged matron.
- This book is the world's most authoritative guide to insect breeding habits.
- He instructed us in that booming, authoritative voice of his.