authoritatively

/ɔːˈθɒɹɪtətɪvli/

//ɔːˈθɒɹɪtətɪvli// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"authoritatively" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“authoritatively” is uncommon English (frequency #70,470 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,470
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In an authoritative manner; with authority.

Corpus desk

Index EN-authoritatively · authoritatively · English

authoritatively · rank #70,470 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,470
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-8 8 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH aven

Nearest frequency peer: aven (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “authoritatively”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “authoritatively” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for authoritatively
PropertyValue
Headwordauthoritatively
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ɔːˈθɒɹɪtətɪvli/
Letters15
Frequency rank#70,470
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “authoritatively” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).authoritativelyfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “aven” (#70,471), “AVN” (#70,473), “async” (#70,466). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “authoritatively” is #70,470. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

authoritatively is uncommon English at frequency #70,470 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ɔːˈθɒɹɪtətɪvli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In an authoritative manner; with authority.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for authoritatively, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English auctoritatively, auctoritativeli; compare Medieval Latin auctoritātīve; equivalent to authoritative + -ly. The correct English form is authoritatively, spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In an authoritative manner; with authority.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how authoritatively appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He has, of course, the right to speak authoritatively, and he laughs at my theory that there was a crack in Pansay's head and a little bit of the Dark World came through and pressed him to death.
  2. The inability of Trump's own spokespeople to speak authoritatively on the president's thinking and actions -- a challenge even Trump himself has acknowledged -- has left the White House with an enormous credibility gap, and has tarnished the reputations of many of its most visible spokespeople.

Etymology

From Middle English auctoritatively, auctoritativeli; compare Medieval Latin auctoritātīve; equivalent to authoritative + -ly.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "authoritatively"?
"authoritatively" is spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-T-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɔːˈθɒɹɪtətɪvli/.
What does "authoritatively" mean?
As an adverb, "authoritatively" means: In an authoritative manner; with authority.
How do you pronounce "authoritatively"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "authoritatively" is /ɔːˈθɒɹɪtətɪvli/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "authoritatively"?
From Middle English auctoritatively, auctoritativeli; compare Medieval Latin auctoritātīve; equivalent to authoritative + -ly. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "authoritatively", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 15 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

democratisation#70,599humanitarianism#70,756neoconservative#70,113miniaturization#70,087

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list