Dictionary

authority en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /əˈθɑɹəti/ (US)
• /ɔːˈθɒɹɪti/ (UK)
• /ɒːˈtɒɹɪti/ (obsolete)
• /əˈθɔɹti/ (US)
• /əˈθɔɹədi/ (US)
• (US) audio
• /əˈθɑɹti/ (US)
• [əˈθɔɹɾi] (US)
• [əˈθɑɹəɾi] (US)
• /əˈt̪ɔ.rɪ.ʈi/ (India, South)
• [əˈθɔɹəɾi] (US)
• /ɔˈt̪hɔ.rɪ.ʈi/ (India, North)
• [əˈθɑɹɾi] (US)
• /ɔːˈθɒɹəti/ (UK)
• /əˈθɔɹəti/ (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₂owg-éye-ti Proto-Italic *augejō Proto-Italic *augeō Latin augeō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin auctor Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin auctōritāsbor. Old French autoritébor. Middle English auctorite English authority From Middle English auctorite, autorite (“authority, book or quotation that settles an argument”), from Old French auctorité, from Latin stem of auctōritās (“invention, advice, opinion, influence, command”), from auctor (“master, leader, author”). For the presence of the h, compare the etymology of author.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Power or right to make or enforce rules, give orders, or impose obligation; or a position having such power or right.
   • She lost all respect and authority after turning up drunk at the meeting.
   • It was widely seen as an attempt to deflect attention from the Comey controversy and re-establish some authority at the briefing room podium. 2017 May 16, Dylan Byers, “Does anyone in Trump's White House have credibility?”, in CNN Business, archived from the original on 22 Mar 2025:
   • I have the authority to penalise the staff in my department, but not the authority to sack them.
   • Vigilantes may have the power to nab criminals, but they lack the authority.
   • But in the meantime Robin Hood and his band lived quietly in Sherwood Forest, without showing their faces abroad, for Robin knew that it would not be wise for him to be seen in the neighborhood of Nottingham, those in authority being very wroth with him. 1883, Howard Pyle, chapter V, in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood […], New York, N.Y.: […] Charles Scribner’s Sons […], →OCLC:
   • SIR PETER. Very well! ma'am very well! so a husband is to have no influence, no authority? LADY TEAZLE. Authority! no, to be sure—if you wanted authority over me, you should have adopted me and not married me[:] I am sure you were old enough. 1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, II.i:
   • Respect my authority!
2. (countable, plural, uncountable) Persons, regarded collectively, who occupy official positions of power; police or law enforcement.
   • The case was that of a murder. It had an element of mystery about it, however, which was puzzling the authorities. A turban and loincloth soaked in blood had been found; also a staff. 1927, F. E. Penny, chapter 4, in Pulling the Strings:
   • No sooner has a [synthetic] drug been blacklisted than chemists adjust their recipe and start churning out a subtly different one. These “legal highs” are sold for the few months it takes the authorities to identify and ban them, and then the cycle begins again. 2013 August 10, “Legal highs: A new prescription”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
   • In China, authorities said they might soon shoot down an unidentified flying object over waters near the northern city of Rizhao, The South China Morning Post reported. 2023 February 12, Daniel E. Slotnik, Amelia Nierenberg, “Your Monday Briefing: U.S. Destroys U.F.O.s”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 Feb 2023, Briefing:
   • Authorities say the suspect fled on foot.
3. (countable) A reliable, definitive source of information on a subject.
   • My cheap dictionary is not the authority on word derivations.
   • The Egyptian crux ansata, common on Egyptian monuments and other memorials, is considered by some authorities as a triple phallus. 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 82:
   • the world's foremost authority on orangutans
   • In these volumes, edited by a French scholar who is today the greatest (and almost the only) authority on Siamese legal history […] 1940, John H. Wigmore, “Pramnŏn Kŏtmai Roc'ăkan T'I Nŭng Cŭlăcăkărăt 1166 (Code of the First Reign [of Siam] 1166 [A.D. 1804-05]). Edited by R. Lingat, from the Official Manuscripts of the Triple Seal. Bangkok, Vols. I, II, 1939; Vol. III (in press)”, in Louisiana Law Review, volume 2, pages 565–566:
   • To punish me for my contempt of authority, Fate has made me an authority myself. 1930 September 18, Albert Einstein, as quoted in Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel (1988) by Banesh Hoffman
4. (uncountable) Status as a trustworthy source of information, reputation for mastery or expertise; or claim to such status or reputation.
   • Due to being inadequate for the deductive method of reasoning, the argument from authority is considered a logical fallacy.
5. (uncountable) Official permission; authorisation to act in some capacity on behalf of a ruling entity.
   • 'It seems to me,' remarked Mr Carrados, remembering something very similar not long before, 'that whatever anyone wants to do about Shakespeare, it is easy to find authority in his works for doing it.' 1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries:
   • Authority to construct eight carriages, to test the new design in public service, had already been given; but of course complete working drawings had first to be prepared. 1964 July, “XP64: New Standard Carriage Project”, in Modern Railways, page 2:
6. (countable) A government-owned agency that runs a revenue-generating activity for public benefit.
   • Chicago Transit Authority
   • New York Port Authority

Forms

Antonyms

impotence · powerlessness

Deriveds

authority issues · authorityless · enforcement authority · appeal to authority · territorial authority · authority control · elevator authority · antiauthority · color of authority · unitary authority · rudder authority · multiauthority · tax authority · port authority · statutory authority · public authority · authoritywise · moral authority · postal authority · signature authority · coauthority · verbal authority · certificate authority · aileron authority · authoritah · local authority · combined authority · authority figure

Descendants

atoriti

Relateds

authoritarian · have something on good authority · authoritative · authorization · author · authorize

Synonyms

sovereignty · warrant · clearance · leave · authority · mandate · cred · consent · leave · allowance · permission · authorization · sanction · command · rulership · gravitas · license · control · permit · jurisdiction

Translations (249)

cy awdurdod (reliable source of information on a subject) · ga údarás (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · hi प्राधिकरण (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · nl autoriteiten (police or law enforcement collectively) · id otoritas (power to enforce rules or give orders) · sh ауторѝте̄т (power to enforce rules or give orders) · pt autoridade (police or law enforcement collectively) · ru администра́ция (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · apw hashidilaa (power to enforce rules or give orders) · be ула́да (police or law enforcement collectively) · uz iqtidor (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ky билгич (power to enforce rules or give orders) · fa-ira اِقْتِدار (power to enforce rules or give orders) · de Autorität (police or law enforcement collectively) · tr uzman (reliable source of information on a subject) · sv auktoritet (power to enforce rules or give orders) · mfe lotorite (power to enforce rules or give orders) · tr yetki (power to enforce rules or give orders) · be кіраўні́цтва (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · ms autoriti (power to enforce rules or give orders) · mi manatū (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · vi quyền lực (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ky кадыр-барк негиз (power to enforce rules or give orders) · is stjórnvald (power to enforce rules or give orders) · el αυθεντία (reliable source of information on a subject) · sw mamlaka (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ms pihak berkuasa (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · mi whakaruruhau (power to enforce rules or give orders) · mt awtoritarju (police or law enforcement collectively) · pt autoridade (power to enforce rules or give orders) · nn styremakt (police or law enforcement collectively) · ru вла́сти (police or law enforcement collectively) · es autoridad (reliable source of information on a subject) · tr bilirkişi (reliable source of information on a subject) · ky авторитет (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ur اِقْتِدار (power to enforce rules or give orders) · hu tekintély (power to enforce rules or give orders) · sv myndighet (police or law enforcement collectively) · fr autorité (police or law enforcement collectively) · kw awtorita (power to enforce rules or give orders) · hy իշխանություն (police or law enforcement collectively) · es autorización (permission or authorisation) · et võim (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ga urlámhas (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ckb دەسەڵات (power to enforce rules or give orders) · hu hatóság (police or law enforcement collectively) · es autoridades (police or law enforcement collectively) · got 𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌿𐍆𐌽𐌹 (power to enforce rules or give orders) · mi rangatōpū (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · bg вла́сти (police or law enforcement collectively) · it autorità (police or law enforcement collectively) · et asjatundja (reliable source of information on a subject) · fr autorité (reliable source of information on a subject) · ja 権威 (reliable source of information on a subject) · uz hokimiyat (power to enforce rules or give orders) · az hakimiyyət (power to enforce rules or give orders) · hu meghatalmazás (power to enforce rules or give orders) · el αρχές (police or law enforcement collectively) · ar سُلْطَة (power to enforce rules or give orders) · af gesag (power to enforce rules or give orders) · pl arbiter (reliable source of information on a subject) · tr otorite (power to enforce rules or give orders) · bg познава́ч (reliable source of information on a subject) · cmn 權威 /权威 (power to enforce rules or give orders) · sh vlȃst (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ky түп (power to enforce rules or give orders) · id otoritas (police or law enforcement collectively) · yi אויטאָריטעט (reliable source of information on a subject) · la auctōritās (power to enforce rules or give orders) · sv auktoritet (reliable source of information on a subject) · ka ავტორიტეტი (reliable source of information on a subject) · id kewenangan (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ko 권능 (power to enforce rules or give orders) · cy awdurdod (police or law enforcement collectively) · sip སྐུ་དབང (power to enforce rules or give orders) · fi auktoriteetti (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ca autoritat (power to enforce rules or give orders) · swb yezi (power to enforce rules or give orders) · sl avtoriteta (power to enforce rules or give orders) · gun po'aka (power to enforce rules or give orders) · he אוֹטוֹרִיטָה (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ja 権威 (power to enforce rules or give orders) · cs autorita (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ja 強権 (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ka რწმუნებულება (power to enforce rules or give orders) · cs autorita (police or law enforcement collectively) · el εξουσία (power to enforce rules or give orders) · nl autoriteit (police or law enforcement collectively) · ba хөкүмәт (power to enforce rules or give orders) · hi अधिकार (power to enforce rules or give orders) · nb autoritet (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ga údarás (police or law enforcement collectively) · ru власть (police or law enforcement collectively) · fi viranomaiset (police or law enforcement collectively) · kw awtorita (police or law enforcement collectively) · ang ealdordōm (power to enforce rules or give orders) · nb myndighet (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ru управле́ние (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · he סַמְכוּת (power to enforce rules or give orders) · pl powaga (reliable source of information on a subject) · tg иқтидор (power to enforce rules or give orders) · de Behörde (police or law enforcement collectively) · ga údarás (reliable source of information on a subject) · cmn 當局 /当局 (police or law enforcement collectively) · hu kormányzati hatóság (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · hu főfelügyelet (police or law enforcement collectively) · af gesaghebbende bron (reliable source of information on a subject) · grc ἀρχή (power to enforce rules or give orders) · gd ùghdarras (power to enforce rules or give orders) · fi asiantuntija (reliable source of information on a subject) · pl powaga (power to enforce rules or give orders) · he בר־סמכא (reliable source of information on a subject) · lv pilnvara (power to enforce rules or give orders) · uk управлі́ння (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · tr yetkili (reliable source of information on a subject) · es autoridad (reliability, trustworthiness, or expertise) · ky авторитеттүүлүк (power to enforce rules or give orders) · da myndighed (power to enforce rules or give orders) · es policía (police or law enforcement collectively) · be адміністра́цыя (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · uk вла́да (police or law enforcement collectively) · pl autorytet (power to enforce rules or give orders) · uk керівни́цтво (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · ka უფლებამოსილება (power to enforce rules or give orders) · bg авторите́т (reliable source of information on a subject) · te అధికారము (power to enforce rules or give orders) · he רשויות (police or law enforcement collectively) · sl avtoriteta (reliable source of information on a subject) · tr salahiyetliler (police or law enforcement collectively) · de Autorität (power to enforce rules or give orders) · hi प्राधिकार (power to enforce rules or give orders) · tr yetkililer (police or law enforcement collectively) · pt autoridade (reliable source of information on a subject) · sl avtoriteta (police or law enforcement collectively) · fi valta (power to enforce rules or give orders) · yi אויטאָריטעט (power to enforce rules or give orders) · cmn 權威 /权威 (reliable source of information on a subject) · sv myndighet (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · nl gezag (police or law enforcement collectively) · cy awdurdod (power to enforce rules or give orders) · be ула́да (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ka ძალაუფლება (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ja 権力 (power to enforce rules or give orders) · it autorità (reliable source of information on a subject) · gl autoridade (power to enforce rules or give orders) · cy awdurdod (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · mt awtoritá (power to enforce rules or give orders) · nn styresmakt (police or law enforcement collectively) · ee ŋusẽ (power to enforce rules or give orders) · fi käskyvalta (power to enforce rules or give orders) · sq autoritet (police or law enforcement collectively) · lt įgaliojimas (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ckb بەردەستی (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ro autoritate (police or law enforcement collectively) · nb styresmakt (police or law enforcement collectively) · sq autoritet (power to enforce rules or give orders) · eo aŭtoritato (power to enforce rules or give orders) · mi kanoi (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ka ავტორიტეტი (reliability, trustworthiness, or expertise) · ky уруксат (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ky беделдүүлүк (power to enforce rules or give orders) · es fuerzas del orden (police or law enforcement collectively) · hu hatalom (power to enforce rules or give orders) · tg ҳокимият (power to enforce rules or give orders) · uk адміністра́ція (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · ba дәүләт (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ko 권위자 (reliable source of information on a subject) · hy հեղինակություն (reliable source of information on a subject) · hu szaktekintély (reliable source of information on a subject) · sw mamlaka (police or law enforcement collectively) · ko 권력 (power to enforce rules or give orders) · nl bevoegdheid (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ka ხელისუფლება (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ky бийлик (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ko 권력자 (police or law enforcement collectively) · fr autorité (power to enforce rules or give orders) · grc ἐξουσία (power to enforce rules or give orders) · sh вла̑ст (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ms pihak berkuasa (police or law enforcement collectively) · fi laitos (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · ru власть (power to enforce rules or give orders) · hy հեղինակություն (power to enforce rules or give orders) · mi kanoi (reliable source of information on a subject) · ko 권위 (reliable source of information on a subject) · ky башчы (power to enforce rules or give orders) · hu szakhatóság (police or law enforcement collectively) · nl autoriteit (reliable source of information on a subject) · hu tekintély (reliable source of information on a subject) · uk вла́да (power to enforce rules or give orders) · de Behörde (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · id otoritas (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · ia autoritate (reliable source of information on a subject) · ga údarás (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ky ыйгарым укук (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ja 当局 (police or law enforcement collectively) · mi manatū (power to enforce rules or give orders) · nb styremakt (police or law enforcement collectively) · it autorità (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ky кадырлуулук (power to enforce rules or give orders) · de Autorität (reliable source of information on a subject) · es autoridad (permission or authorisation) · be аўтарытэ́т (reliable source of information on a subject) · uk авторите́т (reliable source of information on a subject) · pl autorytet (reliable source of information on a subject) · nl overheid (police or law enforcement collectively) · eo instanco (police or law enforcement collectively) · ky кадыр (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ml അധികാരികൾ (police or law enforcement collectively) · ro autoritate (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ky чоңдор (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ka ხელისუფლება (police or law enforcement collectively) · es autoridad (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ml അധികാരം (power to enforce rules or give orders) · hu felhatalmazás (power to enforce rules or give orders) · nl gezag (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ur مُقْتَدِرَہ (power to enforce rules or give orders) · cs autorita (reliable source of information on a subject) · ro autoritate (reliable source of information on a subject) · enm auctorite (power to enforce rules or give orders) · bg власт (power to enforce rules or give orders) · pl władza (police or law enforcement collectively) · th อำนาจ (power to enforce rules or give orders) · el αρχή (power to enforce rules or give orders) · gd ùghdarras (reliable source of information on a subject) · sv myndighet (power to enforce rules or give orders) · ro autorități (police or law enforcement collectively) · an autoridat (power to enforce rules or give orders) · is yfirvald (power to enforce rules or give orders) · sk autorita (power to enforce rules or give orders) · om aangoo (police or law enforcement collectively) · cmn 權力 /权力 (power to enforce rules or give orders) · et võim (police or law enforcement collectively) · fi vaikutusvalta (power to enforce rules or give orders) · sq autoritet (reliable source of information on a subject) · ia autoritate (power to enforce rules or give orders) · lb Autoritéit (power to enforce rules or give orders) · hi प्रशासन (police or law enforcement collectively) · th เจ้าหน้าที่ (police or law enforcement collectively) · fi auktoriteetti (reliable source of information on a subject) · ky бедел (power to enforce rules or give orders) · bg авторите́т (power to enforce rules or give orders) · sh autorìtēt (power to enforce rules or give orders) · hu felügyelet (police or law enforcement collectively) · mt awtoritarja (police or law enforcement collectively) · kw awtorita (reliable source of information on a subject) · gd ùghdarras (police or law enforcement collectively) · ia autoritate (police or law enforcement collectively) · ms penguasa (government agency that runs a revenue-generating activity) · ru авторите́т (reliable source of information on a subject)