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authoritative

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Etymology and origin of the English word authoritative

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1606 R. Broughton, ''Iust & Moderate Answer''
Ultimate origin
Latin auctōritās
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English authority
English authoritative
From the same root
English authoritarian ← authority

Pronunciation

  • /ɔːˈθɒɹɪtɪv/, /əˈθɔɹɪtɪv/[1]
  • UK: /ɔːˈθɒɹɪtətɪv/[1]
  • US: /əˈθɔɹɪˌteɪtɪv/, /əˈθɑɹɪˌteɪtɪv/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English authority + -ative.[2][3][4][5] The OED compares the post-classical Latin adjective Medieval Latin auctoritativus, recorded from the 9th century and in British sources from the 14th,[2] and Etymonline derives the English word from this Medieval Latin form, itself from auctōritās, the source of authority.[6] An earlier Middle English auctoritative is implied in the adverb auctoritativeli (“with official approval or sanction”),[6] and the OED likewise notes that the adverb authoritatively is recorded earlier than the adjective.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Issued by a person or body in authority and requiring obedience: 1606, in R. Broughton's Iust & Moderate Answer.[2][4] Etymonline dates the word to about 1600, in the sense "dictatorial",[6] and Dictionary.com to 1595–1605.[5]

Semantic evolution

The sense "having due or acknowledged authority, widely accepted as reliable or definitive", used of texts, statements and institutions, follows in 1625;[2] the 1989 OED and Etymonline had dated it to the 1650s.[7][6] From 1638 the word was applied to people, their voice and manner: conveying an air of authority, commanding.[2] Etymonline notes that the early sense "dictatorial" has since passed largely to authoritarian.[6] Johnson (1755) gave two senses, "having due authority" and "having an air of authority".[8]

Timeline

  • 1606 – issued by those in authority, official.[2][4]
  • 1625 – of a text or statement, accepted as reliable or definitive.[2]
  • 1638 – of a person or manner, commanding, having an air of authority.[2]
  • 1755 – Johnson defines it as "having due authority" and "having an air of authority".[8]
  • 1809 – proceeding from proper authority (Etymonline, after the 1989 OED).[6][7]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Accepted as true, reliable or definitive, especially because of the writer's knowledge: the authoritative edition of the poet's letters.[9][4][2]
  2. Having or coming from authority; official: an authoritative statement from the ministry.[9][4][2]
  3. Having or showing an air of authority; commanding, sometimes dictatorial: She spoke in a calm, authoritative voice.[9][4][2]

Word family

  • authoritatively
  • authoritativeness
  • nonauthoritative
  • unauthoritative

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  9. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Authoritative.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/authoritative. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·