How to Use "Authentic," One of 2023's Most Important Words
Merriam-Webster is responsible for one of the oldest and most well-known dictionaries in the US. In November of 2023, they announced their choice for word of the year, an important word during the year that many people looked up. The top spot went to the adjective “authentic.”
You may know its basic meaning, but you might be surprised at the many ways it can be used. This article will introduce those uses and present some ideas that may explain why it was such an important word in 2023.
Basic meaning
Authentic is an adjective that means “real or genuine.” It comes from the Greek word “authentikos,” meaning “original, genuine.”
However, there is more than one way to understand this idea of something being real. As we’ll see below, authentic became a top word of the year because of the variety of nuances it has.
Nuanced meanings
Not fake
The most basic usage of the word is to describe something that is not fake or an imitation.
That website is known for selling fake items. If you want authentic products, you need to go to the official store.
The art historians carefully inspected the lost painting to see if it was authentic.
Matching a source
Sometimes what is original is not a physical product; sometimes it is an idea.
For example, French food that is not made in France or by a French chef can still be authentic if the cooking style, ingredients and flavors match the original versions.
This Chicago-style pizza is pretty good, but it’s not completely authentic. The tomato sauce is a bit different.
The movie's designers worked hard to make all of the costumes look authentic to London in the 1960s, which is the story's setting.
Honest (internally)
In some situations, authentic refers to being honest when expressing ideas, a personality or even creations. In other words, if someone lives or does something exactly as they truly want to, they are being authentic.
He decided to leave his band in order to make music that he felt was more personal and authentic.
My New Year's resolution is to live more authentically; I’m tired of worrying about other people’s opinions of me.
Honest (externally)
Being honest with yourself is one thing, but do you appear honest to others? This is yet another usage of authentic — how believable or truthful something or someone appears.
An actor’s success depends on how authentic they can appear in their roles.
They’re all wearing classic punk clothing, but it doesn’t feel authentic to me.
Other forms
Authenticity
This is the noun form of authentic.
The novel was praised for its style and emotional authenticity.
The artwork arrived with a certificate of authenticity.
*A certificate of authenticity is a special document that proves an item comes from a particular artist or organization.
Authentically
"Authentically" is the adverb form.
It's my job to transform this famous novel into a film as authentically as possible.
Authenticate
The verb "authenticate" means to confirm that something is real or genuine.
To prevent fraud, users must authenticate their identities through a two-step process when they log in.
Authentication
Finally, "authentication" is the noun version of authenticate.
We won't know the true value of the antiques until we complete the authentication process.
Why was it so important in 2023?
In our modern era, we are constantly exposed to images, brands, lifestyles and beliefs. With so much information, it is becoming more difficult to tell what is good or bad, true or not true.
Celebrities want to appear authentic to their fans, companies want to appear authentic to customers, politicians want to appear authentic to voters, and so on.
Also, AI tools such as ChatGPT have become more powerful and popular recently. Because of AI’s ability to produce words, images and sounds that are so close to what humans can make, it is also becoming harder to recognize the difference between what has been created by people and what has been generated by software.
When you think of all of these things together, it is no surprise that authentic has become one of the major words of 2023.
Synonyms for “authentic”
Let’s finish with some alternative ways for expressing authentic.
Legit
“Legit” is the casual, shortened form of “legitimate.” The full version is often used in business and law to say that something is original and not a fake.
We must verify that this signature is legitimate before we can conclude our business.
Legit, however, can be used in a variety of ways. For example, it can mean “legal” or “acceptable.”
Is this software legit?
It can refer to people, as well. In this case, it signifies that someone is capable of doing a particular job or that they are who they say they are.
Richard
Is Dee a good coder?
Ginny
Oh, definitely. He’s legit, so don't worry.
It can also mean “cool,” though this is slang that is a bit outdated.
Wow, this pumpkin pie is legit! Can I get the recipe?
The real deal
This casual expression means “genuine.”
The store owner assured us that all of his products were the real deal.
The real McCoy
Here is another casual idiom that refers to something being real instead of an imitation.
It is said to have originated from a man named Elijah McCoy, who invented a system for helping steam trains operate more efficiently.
Railroad operators wanted to make sure they had the high-quality original version, not a fake — in other words, they wanted “the real McCoy”!
The Italian restaurants in our town are pretty good, but we tried the real McCoy when we visited Venice last year. The difference in quality was amazing!
Wrap-up
As you can see, authentic and its related words are quite useful for describing important ideas such as originality, honesty and quality.
As we move further into a society of more connectivity and more powerful technology, the idea of authenticity will become even more important for many people around the world.
