What does authority mean?

authority means "the power or right to give orders or make decisions". That is the primary sense; the word has 7 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in authority?

authority has 4 syllables: au-tho-ri-ty. The stress falls on "tho". In IPA it is /əˈθɔɹəti/.

What is another word for authority?

Close synonyms include authorization, authorisation, potency, dominance, say-so. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is authority a common word?

authority is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

authority — meaning, pronunciation and 7 definitions

noun

7 sensesA person, place, thing, quality or idea.

1.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
“he has the authority to issue warrants”
“deputies are given authorization to make arrests”
“a place of potency in the state”
Synonymsauthorization authorisation potency dominance say-so
Broadercontrol
Narrowerpower of appointment carte blanche command imperium lordship muscle sovereignty
2.
(usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others
“the authorities have issued a curfew”
Broaderperson
Narrowerabrogator allocator approver authority figure authorizer mandator pasha civil authority upbraider withdrawer
plural
3.
an expert whose views are taken as definitive
“he is an authority on corporate law”
Broaderexpert
Narroweradviser connoisseur evaluator high priest liturgist master
4.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
“his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular”
“after that failure he lost his confidence”
“she spoke with authority”
Synonymsassurance self-assurance confidence self-confidence sureness
Broadercertainty
5.
an administrative unit of government
“the Central Intelligence Agency”
“the Census Bureau”
“Office of Management and Budget”
“Tennessee Valley Authority”
Synonymsagency federal agency government agency bureau office
Broaderadministrative unit
NarrowerAir Force Research Laboratory Army High Performance Computing Research Center Naval Research Laboratory United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory executive agency Food and Drug Administration Center for Disease Control and Prevention Counterterrorist Center Nonproliferation Center Bureau of the Census
6.
official permission or approval
“authority for the program was renewed several times”
Synonymsauthorization authorisation sanction
Broaderpermission
7.
an authoritative written work
“this book is the final authority on the life of Milton”
Broaderbook
Narrowerlast word

Other forms of authority

plural: authorities·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about authority

What does authority mean?: authority means "the power or right to give orders or make decisions". That is the primary sense; the word has 7 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in authority?: authority has 4 syllables: au-tho-ri-ty. The stress falls on "tho". In IPA it is /əˈθɔɹəti/.
What is another word for authority?: Close synonyms include authorization, authorisation, potency, dominance, say-so. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
Is authority a common word?: authority is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for authority come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.

noun

7 sensesA person, place, thing, quality or idea.

1.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
“he has the authority to issue warrants”
“deputies are given authorization to make arrests”
“a place of potency in the state”
Synonymsauthorization authorisation potency dominance say-so
Broadercontrol
Narrowerpower of appointment carte blanche command imperium lordship muscle sovereignty
2.
(usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others
“the authorities have issued a curfew”
Broaderperson
Narrowerabrogator allocator approver authority figure authorizer mandator pasha civil authority upbraider withdrawer
plural
3.
an expert whose views are taken as definitive
“he is an authority on corporate law”
Broaderexpert
Narroweradviser connoisseur evaluator high priest liturgist master
4.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
“his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular”
“after that failure he lost his confidence”
“she spoke with authority”
Synonymsassurance self-assurance confidence self-confidence sureness
Broadercertainty
5.
an administrative unit of government
“the Central Intelligence Agency”
“the Census Bureau”
“Office of Management and Budget”
“Tennessee Valley Authority”
Synonymsagency federal agency government agency bureau office
Broaderadministrative unit
NarrowerAir Force Research Laboratory Army High Performance Computing Research Center Naval Research Laboratory United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory executive agency Food and Drug Administration Center for Disease Control and Prevention Counterterrorist Center Nonproliferation Center Bureau of the Census
6.
official permission or approval
“authority for the program was renewed several times”
Synonymsauthorization authorisation sanction
Broaderpermission
7.
an authoritative written work
“this book is the final authority on the life of Milton”
Broaderbook
Narrowerlast word

Other forms of authority

plural: authorities·

Questions about authority

What does authority mean?: authority means "the power or right to give orders or make decisions". That is the primary sense; the word has 7 in total, listed in full on this page.
How many syllables are in authority?: authority has 4 syllables: au-tho-ri-ty. The stress falls on "tho". In IPA it is /əˈθɔɹəti/.
What is another word for authority?: Close synonyms include authorization, authorisation, potency, dominance, say-so. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.
Is authority a common word?: authority is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

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authority

noun

Other forms of authority

Questions about authority

Tools

Jump to

Images & video

PDF & writing

Calculate & convert

Health & fitness

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Learn & play

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authority

noun

Other forms of authority

Questions about authority