Definitions for authority
əˈθɔr ɪ ti, əˈθɒr-au·thor·i·ty

Princeton's WordNet(3.60 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. authority, authorization, authorisation, potency, dominance, say-sonoun

   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"

2. authoritynoun

   (usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others

   "the authorities have issued a curfew"

3. authoritynoun

   an expert whose views are taken as definitive

   "he is an authority on corporate law"

4. assurance, self-assurance, confidence, self-confidence, authority, surenessnoun

   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"

5. agency, federal agency, government agency, bureau, office, authoritynoun

   an administrative unit of government

   "the Central Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority"

6. authority, authorization, authorisation, sanctionnoun

   official permission or approval

   "authority for the program was renewed several times"

7. authoritynoun

   an authoritative written work

   "this book is the final authority on the life of Milton"

Wiktionary(3.25 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. authoritynoun

   The power to enforce rules or give orders.

2. authoritynoun

   Persons in command; specifically, government.

3. authoritynoun

   A person accepted as a source of reliable information on a subject.

   The world's foremost authority on orangutans.

4. Etymology: autorite, from auctorité, from stem of auctoritas, from auctor

Webster Dictionary(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Authoritynoun

   legal or rightful power; a right to command or to act; power exercised buy a person in virtue of his office or trust; dominion; jurisdiction; authorization; as, the authority of a prince over subjects, and of parents over children; the authority of a court

2. Authoritynoun

   government; the persons or the body exercising power or command; as, the local authorities of the States; the military authorities

3. Authoritynoun

   the power derived from opinion, respect, or esteem; influence of character, office, or station, or mental or moral superiority, and the like; claim to be believed or obeyed; as, an historian of no authority; a magistrate of great authority

4. Authoritynoun

   that which, or one who, is claimed or appealed to in support of opinions, actions, measures, etc

5. Authoritynoun

   testimony; witness

6. Authoritynoun

   a precedent; a decision of a court, an official declaration, or an opinion, saying, or statement worthy to be taken as a precedent

7. Authoritynoun

   a book containing such a statement or opinion, or the author of the book

8. Authoritynoun

   justification; warrant

9. Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]

Freebase(3.75 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Authority

   The word authority is derived from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word authority can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area. The word Authority with capital A refers to the governing body upon which such authority is vested; for example, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority or the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Authority

   awth-or′it-i, n. legal power or right: power derived from office or character: weight of testimony: permission:—pl. Author′ities, precedents: opinions or sayings carrying weight: persons in power.—adj. Author′itative, having the sanction or weight of authority: dictatorial.—adv. Author′itatively.—n. Author′itativeness. [L. auctoritatem, auctoritas, auctor.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. authority

   The legal power or right of commanding.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. authority

   In a general acceptation of the term, signifies a right to command and a consequent right to be obeyed. For the appointment of officers of the U. S. army, see Appointing Power. It appears that the sovereigns of Great Britain and other nations have the power to appoint and dismiss officers at pleasure.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. authority

   Official right to make a specific decision.

   They do have the authority to create legislation.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 5, 2020  

Suggested Resources(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. authority

   The authority symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the authority symbol and its characteristic.

Matched Categories

1. • Administrative Unit
   • Book
   • Certainty
   • Control
   • Expert
   • Permission
   • Person

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #514

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Written Corpus Frequency: #697

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Nouns Frequency: #77

How to pronounce authority?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say authority in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of authority in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of authority in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of authority in a Sentence

1. Cicero:

   Men decide far more problems by hate, love, lust, rage, sorrow, joy, hope, fear, illusion, or some other inward emotion, than by reality, authority, any legal standard, judicial precedent, or statute.

2. Alexis de Tocqueville:

   ... above this race of men stands an immense and tutelary power, which takes upon itself alone to secure their gratifications, and to watch over their fate. That power is absolute, minute, regular, provident, and mild. It would be like the authority of a parent, if, like that authority, its object was to prepare them for manhood; but it seeks, on the contrary, to keep them in perpetual childhood...

3. Leonardo da Vinci:

   Anyone who in discussion relies upon authority uses, not his understanding, but rather his memory.

4. Sarah Babcock:

   At least at the Parish level, there's no teeth in this, the parishes do not have any oversight or regulatory authority for nursing homes.

5. Kim Tae-hoon:

   The agreement from the summit doesn't have binding authority over what the people do or don't do, and it can't undercut the universal value of human rights.

Popularity rank by frequency of use