authority
noun
Simple meaning
the power or right to give orders, or official permission
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhthawruhteeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈθɔɹəti
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The power or right to give orders or make decisions
“He has the authority to issue warrants.”
uncountable
Official permission; authorisation to act in some capacity on behalf of a ruling entity.
plural
Persons, regarded collectively, who occupy official positions of power; police or law enforcement.
Official permission or approval
“Authority for the program was renewed several times.”
countable
A reliable, definitive source of information on a subject.
uncountable
Status as a trustworthy source of information, reputation for mastery or expertise; or claim to such status or reputation.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The power or right to give orders or make decisions
Used this way, authority is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“He has the authority to issue warrants.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “authority to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: authority to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Officialnoun
“Authority for the program was renewed several times.”
Powernoun
“He has the authority to issue warrants.”
More ways to use authority
- “He has the authority to issue warrants.”noun
- “This book is the final authority on the life of Milton.”noun
- “He is an authority on corporate law.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The organization that is the governing authority of a political unit.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
The act of creating written works.
Endowed with authority.
Endowed with authority.
Grant authorization or clearance for.
Give or delegate power or authority to.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Someone who is regarded as an authority by someone else.
A person who exercises authority over civilian affairs.
Testimony by someone who should know.
An administrative unit of local government.
Combines the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under a political unit with limited autonomy and a police force.
Combines the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under a political unit with limited autonomy and a police force.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A government that concentrates political power in an authority not responsible to the people.
A government that concentrates political power in an authority not responsible to the people.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.