Legitimately means in a way that follows the rules, is honest, or is real and genuine. When you legitimately earn an A on a test, you studied hard and answered the questions yourself without cheating. When a soccer team wins legitimately, they played by the rules and scored more goals than the other team fairly.

The word comes from legitimate, which means lawful or valid. Something done legitimately can be defended and justified because it was done the right way. A magician might say their trick is legitimately impossible to figure out, meaning it truly stumps people through skill rather than camera tricks. A business owner who earns money legitimately follows tax laws and treats customers honestly.

People use this word to emphasize that something is the real deal, not fake or dishonest. If your friend asks whether you legitimately saw a famous musician at the mall, they want to know if you truly saw them or just someone who looked similar. When you accomplish something legitimately, you can feel genuinely proud because you did it the right way, without shortcuts or deception.