authoritative
AdjectiveUS[uh-thaw-ruh-tey-tiv]/əˈθɔrəˌteɪtɪv/5 syllables
Open English WordNet
Adjective (3)
- having authority or ascendancy or influence“an important official”“the captain's authoritative manner”Synonyms: importantOpposite uninfluentialSimilar influential
- endowed with authority“an authoritative communique”“the authorized biography”Synonyms: authorizedauthorisedOpposite unauthorisedSimilar approved, canonized, empoweredRelates to mandate, authorizationSee also certified, lawful, legitimate, official
- of recognized authority or excellence“the definitive work on Greece”Synonyms: definitiveOpposite nonstandardSimilar standard
Word of the day · Nov 7About this word
perennialadjective
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Au·thor′i·ta·tive (…), adjective
1. Having, or proceeding from, due authority; entitled to obedience, credit, or acceptance; determinate; commanding.
The sacred functions of authoritative teaching.— Isaac Barrow
2. Having an air of authority; positive; dictatorial; peremptory; as, an authoritative tone.
The mock authoritative manner of the one, and the insipid mirth of the other.— Jonathan Swift
— Au·thor′wb-a1′>′i·ta·tive·ly, adverb — Au·thor′wb-a1′>′i·ta·tive·ness, noun
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54