authentic

adjective

au·​then·​tic ə-ˈthen-tik 

ȯ-

1

: not false or imitation : real, actual

an authentic cockney accent

2

: true to one's own personality, spirit, or character

is sincere and authentic with no pretensions

3

a

: worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact

paints an authentic picture of our society

b

: conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features

an authentic reproduction of a colonial farmhouse

c

: made or done the same way as an original

authentic Mexican fare

4

a

of a church mode : ranging upward from the keynote compare plagal sense 1

b

of a cadence : progressing from the dominant chord to the tonic compare plagal sense 2

5

obsolete : authoritative

authentically

ə-ˈthen-ti-k(ə-)lē 

ȯ-

adverb

authenticity

ˌȯ-ˌthen-ˈti-sə-tē 

-thən-

noun

Synonyms

• bona fide
• certifiable
• certified
• dinkum [Australian & New Zealand]
• echt
• genuine
• honest
• pukka
• pucka
• real
• right
• sure-enough
• true

Choose the Right Synonym for authentic

authentic, genuine, bona fide mean being actually and exactly what is claimed.

authentic implies being fully trustworthy as according with fact

an authentic account of the perilous journey

; it can also stress painstaking or faithful imitation of an original.

an authentic reproduction

authentic Vietnamese cuisine

genuine implies actual character not counterfeited, imitated, or adulterated

genuine piety

genuine maple syrup

; it also connotes definite origin from a source.

a genuine Mark Twain autograph

bona fide implies good faith and sincerity of intention.

a bona fide offer for the stock

Examples of authentic in a Sentence

In 1879 expert opinion was unanimous in rejecting Sautuola's timid suggestion that the ceiling paintings in his family's cave were made by the same prehistoric hunters whose stone and bone artifacts he had been collecting from the cave floor. He was accused of forgery and not until 1902, when discovery of similar paintings in several French caves supported Sautuola's claim, did experts agree that they were authentic relics of Paleolithic times. —William H. McNeill, New York Review, 19 Oct. 2006

"If I did authentic Japanese food here, no one would understand," says Masaharu Morimoto, whose idiosyncratic creations dazzle as many as 300 diners a night at his eponymous Philadelphia restaurant. "Anything I do here is going to be an Americanization of Japanese cuisine." The ponytailed Morimoto of Iron Chef fame has been expanding the boundaries of Japanese cuisine his entire career, starting at his own sushi bar in Hiroshima, Japan … —Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, 31 Mar. 2005

But before we could leave, the old guy had to have his pint with the regulars at the Regulator. Part of his routine. All the staff were from Ireland (the real Ireland), and all the walls were paneled with authentic oak. —Michael Kandel, Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 2004

According to Lia, the document seems authentic, though she emphasizes that it contains no specific attack orders … —Aparisim Ghosh, Time, 22 Mar. 2004

We saw authentic examples of ancient Roman sculpture.

Experts have confirmed that the signature on the letter is authentic.

The witness provided an authentic record of what actually took place.

She prepared a very authentic Mexican meal.

The building is an authentic reproduction of a colonial farmhouse.

Recent Examples on the Web

The authentic arcade controls are durable and comfortable for intense sessions. —Simon Hill, Wired News, 26 June 2025

The journeys, known as Original Voyages, have numerous and varied shore excursions allowing travelers a chance to explore authentic Norway at a relaxed pace, with flexible itineraries and approachable pricing. —AFAR Media, 26 June 2025

Following the New York Post’s initial report about Hunter Biden’s laptop in October of that year, other news outlets including the New York Times and Politico have reported that the laptop did belong to Hunter Biden and the documents on it were authentic. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 25 June 2025

Against a backdrop of corporatized Pride Month mega-events that pelt you with free rainbow canteens and bad music, this was much more authentic and communal. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 25 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English autentik, auctentyke, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French autentik, autentique, borrowed from Medieval Latin autenticus, authenticus, auctenticus "original, genuine (of a document), authoritative, approved by authority," going back to Latin authenticus "original (of a document)," borrowed from Greek authentikós "warranted as genuine, original, authoritative," probably from authentía "absolute sway, authority" (from authéntēs "doer, master" + -ia -ia entry 1) + -ikos -ic entry 1; authéntēs, in earlier Greek "killer, murderer, perpetrator of a deed," from aut- aut- + -hentēs, from hen- (going back to Indo-European *senh₂-, full-grade ablaut of zero-grade *sn̥-ne-h₂, whence Greek ánymi, anýnai "to complete, achieve, perpetrate") + -tēs, agent suffix

Note: Greek authentikós and authentía/-eía first appear in non-literary sources of the first centuries A.D., whence their adaptation into Latin, and go on to see considerable elaboration in patristic and Byzantine Greek. The base of these words, the agent noun authéntēs, had rather disparate senses in ancient Greek. The earliest, attested in Herodotus and the Attic tragedians, is "killer, murderer," apparently generalized in Hellenistic Greek to "perpetrator (of a crime)" and then "doer, master," whence the derivatives based on the notion of authority. The etymological sense of the word, however, supported by Sophocles' autoéntēs, is "person accomplishing something on their own," which is not far from the later meaning "doer." The specific application to murder was perhaps originally a euphemism or a legal usage, or, somewhat less likely, by association with the verb theínein "to strike, kill." — Several Indo-European congeners of Greek ánymi have been proposed, as Sanskrit sanóti "(s/he) gains, obtains," ásanat "has gained," Avestan hanāt̰ "will obtain," Hittite šanḫ- "seek, look for" (see further in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben).

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Rhymes for authentic

• inauthentic

Kids Definition

authentic

adjective

au·​then·​tic ə-ˈthent-ik 

ȯ-

1

: being really what it seems to be : genuine

authentic examples of Viking jewelry

2

: made to be or look just like an original

authentic colonial costumes

authentic French-style mustard

authentically

-ˈthent-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

authenticity

ˌȯ-ˌthen-ˈtis-ət-ē 

-thən-

noun