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 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 This movement is composed of various factions, as Laura Field has distilled in her authoritative work Furious Minds. — Leonard A. Schuette, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026 Ladapo has been less authoritative about encouraging vaccines as safe. — Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026 Users implicitly will take what an AI tells them to be authoritative. — David Berreby, IEEE Spectrum, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for authoritative

Recent Examples of Synonyms for authoritative

Adjective

Now, Anthropic acknowledges that its marks are signals, not definitive proof of AI-generation.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2026
Viral sit-to-stand and other mobility tests measure strength, balance, fall risk; helpful clues on how the body is aging but not definitive predictions of lifespan.

— Devi Shastri, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of definitive

Adjective

Iran and Oman have already reached an agreement on their respective shares of the vital economic artery, controversially including revenues associated with its administration, the influential military group told the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

— Mike Sheen,Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
Musk, the founder of SpaceX, has become one of the most influential, and contentious, private sector figures in Ukraine’s war effort.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of influential

Adjective

A good number of them also have authoritarian governments, raising questions about the lack of accountability and due process to ensure the protection of the deportees’ rights.

— Mark Banchereau, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
The Gwangju Biennale was founded in 1994 to commemorate the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, during which hundreds of civilians were killed during a protest against the authoritarian military government’s brutal crackdown on civil rights.

— Vivienne Chow, ARTnews.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

Fame was of prime importance to the ancient Greeks, and Wilson is the rare classical scholar who has firsthand knowledge of a public life.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
The shoe reimagines Repetto’s Bolchoï model, a ballerina silhouette drawing inspiration from the classical ballet pointe shoe.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of classical

Adjective

Will stars in the film as Phil Weston, an unremarkable family man who grew up under the thumb of his domineering dad, Buck (Robert Duvall).

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
That’s a little too farcical for the moment, and the final cut lands more in a place of domineering intrigue.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026

Definition of domineering

Adjective

The more accurate framing is that many of these fees are supplier-imposed and disclosed in booking terms that travelers frequently do not read in full.

— Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Maher noted that many of those candidates were heavy favorites to win but agreed that his statement was not accurate.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of accurate

Adjective

Each of these decisions laid the groundwork for the war on Iran today, one that started without a clear strategy on the arrogant expectation of a quick victory.

— Alexander Langlois, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
The data center industry is only one face of an arrogant oligarchy that people believe now runs Congress, the courts, the White House, state legislatures and local governments.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Adjective

The town is now essentially a real-world study for scientists, after comprehensive data was gathered over a year back in 2007.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
Problems with standardized assessments The most comprehensive measure of adult literacy levels is the Survey of Adult Skills, which is part of a larger international assessment known as the PIAAC.

— Jennifer D. Kobrin, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026