authoritative

[uh-thawr-i-tey-tiv, uh-thor-]

adjective

1. having due authority; having the sanction or weight of authority.

   an authoritative opinion.

   Synonyms: official

2. 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.

3. having an air of authority; accustomed to exercising authority; positive; peremptory; dictatorial.

   said with an authoritative air.

   Synonyms: authoritarian, dogmatic

authoritative

/ ɔːˈθɒrɪtətɪv /

adjective

1. recognized or accepted as being true or reliable

   an authoritative article on drugs

2. exercising or asserting authority; commanding

   an authoritative manner

3. possessing or supported by authority; official

   an authoritative communiqué

Other Word Forms

• authoritativeness noun
• authoritatively adverb
• nonauthoritative adjective
• nonauthoritatively adverb
• nonauthoritativeness noun
• unauthoritative adjective
• unauthoritatively adverb
• unauthoritativeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of authoritative¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; authorit(y) + -ative

Example Sentences

A record number of the world’s top money managers now say stocks are overvalued, according to an authoritative new report.

Read more on MarketWatch

Some of Mr. Fatsis’ new colleagues observed that the very notion of authoritative repositories of information had come to seem archaic; now “expertise was ceasing to matter” and “institutions were growing suspect.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some former CDC leaders said a shift away from a central, authoritative voice in public health could cause confusion.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a right-wing Christian organization that purports to “affirm the inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God,” has lent several of its attorneys to represent Chiles in the case.

Read more on Salon

The government says the proposed new digital ID - which will cost the user nothing - "will be the authoritative proof of who someone is and their residency status in this country".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• accurate 
• authentic 
• definitive 
• dependable 
• factual 
• reliable 
• scholarly 
• trustworthy 
• truthful