authoritative
Americanadjective
-
having due authority; having the sanction or weight of authority.
an authoritative opinion.
- Synonyms:
- official
-
substantiated or supported by documentary evidence and accepted by most authorities in a field.
an authoritative edition of Shakespeare; an authoritative treatment of a subject.
-
having an air of authority; accustomed to exercising authority; positive; peremptory; dictatorial.
said with an authoritative air.
- Synonyms:
- authoritarian, dogmatic
adjective
-
recognized or accepted as being true or reliable
an authoritative article on drugs
-
exercising or asserting authority; commanding
an authoritative manner
-
possessing or supported by authority; official
an authoritative communiqué
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of authoritative
First recorded in 1595–1605; authorit(y) + -ative
Explanation
Speak with an authoritative tone, or no one will listen to you. Why would they, if you sound like you don't even believe in yourself? Authoritative means sure or definitive. When writing a paper, it can be useful to quote from an authoritative source, such as the encyclopedia, but you must also do enough research that you are fluent in your subject and can speak with the authoritative voice only true immersion can produce.
Vocabulary lists containing authoritative
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 2
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The Last Cuentista
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Authoritative estimates place the total of undocumented residents in the U.S. at about 11 million to 11.7 million.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2025
“We had five good — if rocky — years together, until we sort of got one another’s rhythm, because he was Mr. Cool, he was Mr. Authoritative and straight ahead,” she said.
From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2024
“The Annotated Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant,” edited by Elizabeth D. Samet, is everything a work of popular scholarship should be: Authoritative, thorough and compulsively readable.
From Washington Post • Dec. 18, 2018
Authoritative polls on Americans' religious identification diverge significantly from the Secure America Now poll on this point.
From Salon • Sep. 19, 2011
Authoritative distribution is exemplified in the work of many commissions appointed by law to fix rates or settle disputes, such as boards of conciliation and arbitration and railway commissions.
From Modern Economic Problems Economics Volume II by Fetter, Frank Albert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
