authoritative

adjective

au·​thor·​i·​ta·​tive ə-ˈthȯr-ə-ˌtā-tiv 

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

Synonyms of authoritative

• definitive
• classical
• accurate
• comprehensive
• classic
• magisterial
• official

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

By separating address grouping, attribution, and operator, the proposal addresses a weakness that has long existed in blockchain analytics; confidence can be mistaken for proof especially given the lack of authoritative auditing standards. — Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Your 10th House of Career and Status gets a quiet lift from the Moon, which trines authoritative Saturn in your 2nd House of Finances. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2026

Or an authoritative Uncle Jimmy sun, incomparable Sydney moon and industrious Marcus ascendant. — Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026

The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. — Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 25 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

authority + -ative

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for authoritative

• accommodative
• accumulative
• adjudicative
• administrative
• affiliative
• agglutinative
• ameliorative
• appreciative
• assimilative
• associative
• collaborative
• cooperative

Kids Definition

authoritative

adjective

au·​thor·​i·​ta·​tive ə-ˈthär-ə-ˌtāt-iv 

ȯ-, 

-ˈthȯr-

: having or coming from authority

authoritatively adverb

authoritativeness noun