Counterfeit
Counterfeit adjective - Being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud.
Legitimate is an antonym for counterfeit.
Legitimate
Legitimate adjective - Permitted by law.
Both words in one sentence
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Most counterfeit cash comes out of North Korea, which managed to get a set of legitimate US current printing plates several decades ago.
Source: Counterfeit Cash - The "evil" aspect depends on a subjective value, but there's Lucky and Flo, two black Labradors that the MPAA praised for their ability to sniff out counterfeit CDs (and legitimate ones).
Source: Evil-Detecting Dog - The bill or coin in question is perfectly legitimate and not Counterfeit Cash.
Source: Rare Money
Cite this Source
Legitimate and Counterfeit. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/counterfeit/legitimate
Counterfeit & Legitimate. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/counterfeit/legitimate>.
Legitimate or Counterfeit. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/counterfeit/legitimate.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "counterfeit" and "legitimate" have occurred on timeline