SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
authoritative
adjective
Deserving trust because of recognized expertise or reliable knowledge.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Recognized as dependable
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topExpert describes knowledge; authoritative describes the weight a source deserves because of that knowledge.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See authoritative in use
The historian used an authoritative catalog to identify the manuscript.
In a fictional makers' association, a review panel could accredit workshops that demonstrated the equipment, instruction, and records required by its published standards. An authoritative guide written by experienced instructors explained the techniques those workshops taught.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license