authoritative

adjective

au·​thor·​i·​ta·​tive ə-ˈthȯr-ə-ˌtā-tiv How to pronounce authoritative (audio)
ȯ-,
-ˈthär-
1
: having, marked by, or proceeding from authority
authoritative church doctrines
an authoritative decision
an authoritative manner
2
: possessing recognized or evident authority : clearly accurate or knowledgeable
an authoritative critique
an authoritative source of information
authoritatively adverb
authoritativeness noun

Examples of authoritative in a Sentence

The book is an authoritative guide to the city's restaurants. His manner is polite but authoritative. She addressed the group with an authoritative voice.
Recent Examples on the Web Link to authoritative sources Most readers tend to be more trusting of content that links to authoritative sources. Jon Stojan, The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Solutions include: The use of a comprehensive registry, whose database provides an authoritative, up-to-date view of the testing market, as well as enabling test identification and serving as a single source of truth to link test, coding, and coverage information. Rajeev Ronanki, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 No authoritative forward tilt or imposing hunch of shoulder. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024 Since Neumann’s departure from WeWork, his upscale lifestyle and authoritative and unconventional management style have received a great deal of scrutiny in a documentary, a TV series, and several books. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2024 The Brick Industry Association (BIA) developed years ago the most authoritative set of instructions on residential chimneys, including how to make a chimney crown waterproof. Tim Carter, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2024 Eventually, however, Hermes (played by Lillias White) gave the house an authoritative settle down stare. Elise Taylor, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2024 Wave your arms, clap your hands, and shout in an authoritative voice. David Montesino, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2024 Mirza said that Google, for instance, would never put controversial allegations about a creator or celebrity into their search suggestions unless a highly authoritative news organization had published an article about it. Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'authoritative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

authority + -ative

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of authoritative was in 1606

Dictionary Entries Near authoritative

Cite this Entry

“Authoritative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/authoritative. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

authoritative

adjective
au·​thor·​i·​ta·​tive ə-ˈthär-ə-ˌtāt-iv How to pronounce authoritative (audio)
ȯ-,
-ˈthȯr-
: having or coming from authority
authoritatively adverb
authoritativeness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on authoritative

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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