Authentic
/ɔːˈθɛntɪk/
adjectiveIntermediateCommonGeneral
Meaning
Questions
Definitions
1
Being genuine; not a fake or imitation.
/ɔːˈθɛntɪk/
adjectivepositiveIntermediate
General
Genuine; not false or copied.
This is an authentic antique.
💡 Simply: Real, true, not fake.
More Examples
2
The restaurant serves authentic Mexican food.
How It's Used
Art
"The painting was declared authentic by experts."
Food
"We enjoyed the authentic Italian cuisine."
From Latin *authenticus, from Greek *authentikos "of the author", from *authentes "author, originator".
The word has been used in the sense of 'genuine' since the 16th century.
Memory tip
Think 'author' – an authentic book is written by the actual author.
Practice
Base: authentic
authenicauthnticauthenthic
Usage
40%Spoken
60%Written