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legitimate

 
 
/lɪˈdʒɪtəmət/ adjective

Definition

LEGAL allowed by law: Sales of illegal CDs now exceed those of legitimate recordings. → Opposite illegitimate
CAN BE UNDERSTOOD A legitimate complaint or fear can be understood or believed: People have expressed legitimate fears about the spread of the disease.
legitimately adverb He insisted the money had been earned legitimately (= legally).
(Definition of legitimate adjective from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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