legitly
/lɪˈdʒɪt.li/ IELTSAcademic
adverb
Informal word meaning in a legal, honest, or real way. It is not standard in careful English, so many speakers prefer "legitimately" or "for real."
- He legitly earned that promotion.
- Is this app legitly safe to use?
- She wanted a legitly signed copy.
Adinary Nuance
Legitly is close to "legitimately," but it sounds much more casual and less accepted. In careful writing, "legitimately" is usually better. Compared with "really" or "truly," legitly can sound slangy or nonstandard.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- hợp lệ
- Spanish
- legítimamente
- Chinese
- 合法地
- Japanese
- 正当に
- Korean
- 정당하게
Etymology
A modern informal formation from "legit," a short form of "legitimate," with the adverb ending "-ly." It became more common in casual online English, but it is still not standard in formal writing.
Common phrases
legitly speakinglegitly earnedlegitly safe
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is legitly standard English?
- No. It is informal and often sounds nonstandard. In essays or business writing, use "legitimately" instead.
- What is the difference between legitly and legitimately?
- They mean almost the same thing, but "legitly" is casual and less accepted. "Legitimately" is the safer choice.
- Can I use legitly in IELTS writing?
- It is better not to. IELTS writing should usually use standard English, so "legitimately" or "properly" is better.
- Is legitly common in spoken English?
- It may appear in casual online speech, but many native speakers avoid it. It can sound awkward outside informal chat.