AUTHORITATIVE Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

authoritative

adjective

ə-ˈthȯr-ə-ˌtā-tiv

Definition of authoritative

as in definitive

being the most accurate and apparently thorough this book is considered the most authoritative source on that subject

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in influential

having power over the minds or behavior of others after a couple of authoritative critics panned the movie, the other reviewers rushed to say how awful it was

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in authoritarian

fond of ordering people around she's very authoritative for someone who doesn't actually outrank us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of authoritative Because these procedures can be incredibly complex, each chamber of Congress has a parliamentarian who provides authoritative, objective, and nonpartisan guidance on how rules and precedents should be interpreted and applied. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 The vulnerability occurs when a coding agent with permission to run shell commands treats the file as authoritative setup documentation. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026 Others see it as an affront to their own authoritative knowledge of the city. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 The pubescent croak of Roman Candle is gone, the chesty metal voice of Dead Air replaced by something soft and assured, authoritative. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for authoritative

Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritative

Adjective

Yet after the definitive collapse of the Islamic State’s territorial project, in most places the idea of global jihad lost its former appeal.

— Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
The researchers stress that the experiment does not identify one definitive pairing mechanism.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of definitive

Adjective

Celebrating three decades at Bergdorf’s, Fargo helped define style through her distinct visual storytelling and fashion curation while being an influential champion of American fashion.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026
Ross Wilson, Newcastle’s sporting director, and David Hopkinson, the chief executive officer (CEO), were the two key decision-makers during the window, while Simon Capper, the chief financial officer (CFO), was also an influential voice.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of influential

Adjective

Dejan Pavlovic, from Belgrade’s Faculty of Political Sciences, drew a comparison with an election this year in Hungary that swept from power another authoritarian, Viktor Orbán.

— Ivana Bzganovic, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Meanwhile, authoritarian regimes are on the rise across the planet, including in the United States.

— Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

Wanting to leave a trace of his own musical fingerprint amid all that classical formality, McCartney insisted on an unorthodox bluesy note in the cello line that Martin warned wasn’t in keeping with the baroque style.

— Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
White lamps look inspired by Grecian amphorae; wardrobes are ridged like classical columns.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of classical

Adjective

She’s played with a darkly enigmatic, unnerving quality by James in her finest work to date — a knowing, even domineering smile often curling around her lips.

— Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Rebecca Hall, playing his elegantly domineering wife, gets even less.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of domineering

Adjective

The goal should be to build a substantial and accurate body of information about the organization over time.

— Evan Nierman, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
But his military-industrial base is slowly edging into a new era of cheaper, longer-range, more accurate and deadly drones and missiles.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of accurate

Adjective

Everybody on our side understands that impeachment is a critical tool in the toolbox for constitutional self-defense against a president acting like a king, an imperious, lawless, arrogant king.

— NBC news, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
Most obviously, front and center, and in endlessly intrusive close-up, there’s Pattinson — who also serves as producer — playing the arrogant, fame-addicted, megalomaniac Hansen.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Adjective

China’s grain output reached a record 715 million tons in 2025, while national plans call for increasing comprehensive grain production capacity to about 725 million tons by 2030.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
In May, Raman announced a comprehensive Palisades recovery plan that touched on many of the demands fire survivors had been voicing for more than a year.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026