authoritative

adjective

au·​thor·​i·​ta·​tive ə-ˈthȯr-ə-ˌtā-tiv How to pronounce authoritative (audio)
ȯ-, 
-ˈthär-
Synonyms of authoritative
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

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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
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.
Users implicitly will take what an AI tells them to be authoritative. — David Berreby, IEEE Spectrum, 13 Aug. 2026 That entity layer is Wikipedia, Wikidata, schema markup on the executive's own pages, and structured references from authoritative outlets. — Ronn Torossian, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Users might wait hours for an answer, responses aren’t infinitely scalable, and the person on the other end may offer a perspective that’s personal rather than authoritative. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026 Indeed, chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude are simultaneously authoritative-sounding and eager-to-please, a combination that can lead to terrible-yet-seductive advice that many users accept with little to no critical pushback. — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for authoritative

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

Rhymes for authoritative

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Browse Nearby Words

authoritarianism
authoritative
authority
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Cite this Entry

“Authoritative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/authoritative. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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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

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Nglish: Translation of authoritative for Spanish Speakers

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