Authoritative

How to spell authoritative

13 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce authoritative

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does authoritative mean?

1. adjectiveRecognised as accurate, reliable, and the most trustworthy source on a subject.
2. adjectiveShowing or claiming the confident command and influence of someone in charge.

Authoritative in a sentence

• The professor wrote the most authoritative guide to the period.

• She spoke in a calm, authoritative tone that settled the room.

• Investors wanted an authoritative summary of the company accounts.

• The new manager has an authoritative presence in meetings.

Where does authoritative come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin auctor, which meant an originator, a founder, or a person who causes something to grow, from the verb augere meaning 'to increase' or 'to enlarge'. From auctor came the abstract noun for the power such a person held, which passed into English through Old French as 'authority' during the 1300s. The adjective 'authoritative' was then built on that English noun with the suffix -ative around the early 1600s, to describe something that carries the weight of recognised authority. A useful spelling clue is that the word is simply 'authority' with its final 'y' replaced and -ative added, so the 'author' core and the 't' of authority both survive intact. The same auctor root also gave us 'author' and 'augment', a reminder that the idea underneath is one of originating and increasing rather than merely commanding.

How the word is built

• author (one who originates, from auctor: originator)
• -ity (state of)
• -ative (adjective suffix: having the quality of)