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authoritative

 [uh-thawr-i-tey-tiv, uh-thor-]   Example Sentences Origin

au·thor·i·ta·tive

   [uh-thawr-i-tey-tiv, uh-thor-]
adjective
1.
having due authority; having the sanction or weight of authority: an authoritative opinion.
2.
substantiated or supported by documentary evidence and accepted by most authorities in a field: an authoritative edition of Shakespeare; an authoritative treatment of a subject.
3.
having an air of authority; accustomed to exercising authority; positive; peremptory; dictatorial: said with an authoritative air.
Origin:
1595–1605; authorit(y) + -ative

Related forms
au·thor·i·ta·tive·ly, adverb
au·thor·i·ta·tive·ness, noun
non·au·thor·i·ta·tive, adjective
non·au·thor·i·ta·tive·ly, adverb
non·au·thor·i·ta·tive·ness, noun
EXPAND
un·au·thor·i·ta·tive, adjective
un·au·thor·i·ta·tive·ly, adverb
un·au·thor·i·ta·tive·ness, noun
COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1. official. 3. dogmatic, authoritarian.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Authoritative has a plethora of syllables.
So is cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine. Does it mean:
a white, crystalline, water-insoluble, powerful high explosive, C3H6N6O6, used chiefly in bombs and shells.
the estimation of something as valueless (encountered mainly as an example of one of the longest words in the English language).
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Example Sentences
  • The auctioneer cut an imposing figure, nearly six feet tall in heels, her English-accented contralto crisply authoritative.
  • Today's figures are considered more authoritative and comprehensive.
  • Again, I don't claim my answer to be authoritative.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
authoritative (ɔːˈθɒrɪtətɪv)
 
—adj
1.  recognized or accepted as being true or reliable: an authoritative article on drugs
2.  exercising or asserting authority; commanding: an authoritative manner
3.  possessing or supported by authority; official: an authoritative communiqué
 
au'thoritatively
 
—adv
 
au'thoritativeness
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

authoritative
c.1600, "dictatorial" (a sense now restricted to authoritarian), from authority (q.v.). Meaning "possessing authority" is recorded from 1650s; that of "proceeding from proper authority" is from 1809.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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