authentic

/ɔːˈθentɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /ɔːˈθentɪk/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈthen-tik ȯ-/ (ame, mw)

authentic — 形容詞

1. If a thing is described as authentic, you can be sure it really is what someone

1.形容詞C1
釋義

真品；真正

確實是本人或本物，非仿冒、非偽造

If a thing is described as authentic, you can be sure it really is what someone has claimed — not a fake, a copy, or something pretending to be it.

例句

Maria refused to buy the painting until the gallery confirmed it was authentic.

在畫廊確認那幅畫是真品之前，Maria 都不肯買。

predicative: be authentic for verifying objects

The museum displayed an authentic Roman coin found near the harbor in Ostia.

博物館展出一枚在 Ostia 港口附近出土的真正羅馬古錢幣。

attributive: authentic + noun (object/artefact)

同義詞
  • genuine

    everyday word with the same core meaning; less formal than 'authentic'

  • real

    much broader and more informal; 'authentic' suggests careful checking

  • bona fide

    Latin-rooted, often used in legal or business contexts about people or claims

反義詞
  • fake

    informal antonym for objects and signatures

  • counterfeit

    specifically about money, documents, or branded goods made to deceive

  • forged

    of documents or signatures created illegally

用法筆記

Often appears in contexts where forgery, imitation, or fraud is a real concern (paintings, documents, signatures, designer goods). Frequently paired with verbs of verification: prove, confirm, certify, declare.

常見錯誤

❌The painting is very authentic.
✅The painting is authentic.
💡'authentic' usually does not take 'very' because it describes a yes/no fact, not a quality on a scale.

2. Not the original itself, but made or done in a way that closely captures the loo

2.形容詞C1
釋義

道地；正統

忠實重現原版風貌、傳統做法

Not the original itself, but made or done in a way that closely captures the look, taste, or feel of a particular tradition, place, or time period — for example, food cooked the old village way, or a film set built to match an exact decade.

例句

The small restaurant in Naples serves the most authentic pizza Lucia had ever tasted.

那不勒斯這家小餐廳的披薩是 Lucia 吃過最道地的。

collocation: authentic + cuisine/dish (true to tradition)

Daniel wore an authentic samurai costume he had ordered from a workshop in Kyoto.

Daniel 穿著一套向京都工坊訂製的道地武士裝束。

authentic + costume/replica (faithful to original)

同義詞
  • traditional

    stresses that something follows old customs, not that it copies a specific original

  • true-to-life

    informal; used for re-creations that feel realistic

  • faithful

    as in 'a faithful reproduction'; emphasises careful matching of details

反義詞
  • imitation

    a poor or cheap copy that does not capture the original

  • modernised

    changed from the traditional version to suit modern tastes

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 says the item itself is the original; this sense says the item is a faithful copy or close re-creation. Common with food, music, costumes, decor, and cultural experiences.

常見錯誤

❌I want to learn authentic English from a book.
✅I want to learn natural English from real conversations.
💡'authentic' here suggests a copy that imitates an original, which sounds odd applied to a living language; use 'natural' or 'real' instead.

3. An account, report, or piece of information called authentic is one that you can

3.形容詞C1
釋義

如實；可信

敘述、紀錄與事實相符，可信

An account, report, or piece of information called authentic is one that you can trust because it matches the facts of what really happened.

例句

Historians regard the soldier's diary as the only authentic account of the battle.

歷史學家認為那名士兵的日記是這場戰役唯一真實的紀錄。

collocation: authentic account / report / record

The journalist worked hard to give an authentic picture of life in the refugee camp.

這位記者努力呈現難民營生活的真實樣貌。

authentic + picture/description (true-to-facts)

同義詞
  • reliable

    everyday word; focuses on whether you can depend on the source

  • truthful

    stresses honesty of the speaker rather than match with facts

  • factual

    stricter — based only on facts, with no opinion or guesswork

反義詞
  • false

    general antonym

  • unreliable

    suggests the source cannot be trusted, not that it is invented

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is about whether an OBJECT is really itself (a real Picasso); this sense is about whether an ACCOUNT or REPORT matches the truth. Subject is usually a noun like account, report, record, picture, or witness.

常見錯誤

❌The reporter wrote an authentic news.
✅The reporter wrote an authentic report.
💡'news' is uncountable; use a countable noun like report, article, or account.