What does authority mean?
Definitions for authority
əˈθɔr ɪ ti, əˈθɒr-au·thor·i·ty
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word authority.
Princeton's WordNet
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"
authoritynoun
(usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others
"the authorities have issued a curfew"
authoritynoun
an expert whose views are taken as definitive
"he is an authority on corporate law"
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"
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"
authority, authorization, authorisation, sanctionnoun
official permission or approval
"authority for the program was renewed several times"
authoritynoun
an authoritative written work
"this book is the final authority on the life of Milton"
Wiktionary
authoritynoun
The power to enforce rules or give orders.
authoritynoun
Persons in command; specifically, government.
authoritynoun
A person accepted as a source of reliable information on a subject.
The world's foremost authority on orangutans.
Etymology: autorite, from auctorité, from stem of auctoritas, from auctor
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Authoritynoun
Etymology: auctoritas, Lat.
Idle old man,
That still would manage those authorities,
That he hath given away! William Shakespeare, King Lear.I know, my lord,
If law, authority, and pow’r deny not,
It will go hard with poor Antonio. William Shakespeare, Merch. of Ven.Power arising from strength, is always in those that are governed, who are many: but authority arising from opinion, is in those that govern, who are few. William Temple.
Adam’s sovereignty, that by virtue of being proprietor of the whole world, he had any authority over men, could not have been inherited by any of his children. John Locke.
The woods are fitter to give rules than cities, where those that call themselves civil and rational, go out of their way, by the authority of example. John Locke.
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 1 Tim. ii. 12.
Do’st thou expect th’ authority of their voices,
Whose silent wills condemn thee? Ben Jonson, Catiline.Something I have heard of this, which I would be glad to find by so sweet an authority confirmed. Philip Sidney, b. ii.
We urge authorities in things that need not, and introduce the testimony of ancient writers, to confirm things evidently believed. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours, b. i. c. 6.
Having been so hardy as to undertake a charge against the philosophy of the schools, I was liable to have been overborn by a torrent of authorities. Joseph Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica, Pref.
They consider the main consent of all the churches in the whole world, witnessing the sacred authority of scriptures, ever sithence the first publication thereof, even till this present day and hour. Richard Hooker, b. v. § 22.
Wikipedia
Authority
In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, authority is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.In the exercise of governance, the terms authority and power are inaccurate synonyms. The term authority identifies the political legitimacy, which grants and justifies the ruler's right to exercise the power of government; and the term power identifies the ability to accomplish an authorized goal, either by compliance or by obedience; hence, authority is the power to make decisions and the legitimacy to make such legal decisions and order their execution.
ChatGPT
authority
Authority refers to the legitimate power or right that an individual, group, or organization possesses to give orders, make decisions, or enforce obedience. It can be derived from law, social structures, or accepted norms, and is often associated with a recognized position or status within a hierarchy. Authority can also refer to a source of expert knowledge or information.
Webster Dictionary
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
Authoritynoun
government; the persons or the body exercising power or command; as, the local authorities of the States; the military authorities
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
Authoritynoun
that which, or one who, is claimed or appealed to in support of opinions, actions, measures, etc
Authoritynoun
testimony; witness
Authoritynoun
a precedent; a decision of a court, an official declaration, or an opinion, saying, or statement worthy to be taken as a precedent
Authoritynoun
a book containing such a statement or opinion, or the author of the book
Authoritynoun
justification; warrant
Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]
Wikidata
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
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
authority
The legal power or right of commanding.
Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
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
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
authority
The authority symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the authority symbol and its characteristic.
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #514
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Written Corpus Frequency: #697
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Nouns Frequency: #77
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of authority in Chaldean Numerology is: 4
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of authority in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of authority in a Sentence
We're talking about an extremely small rural town where this family presides over any number of different capacities and people see the power this family has had, so you normally... question authority, but sometimes you just don't question authority because you're afraid to or you are told things are being handled and you just trust it.
I can’t do anything except plead with the Congress to act reasonably, i have done the full extent of my executive authority – to do on my own, anything about guns … The Congress has to act. The majority of the American people think having assault weapons is bizarre, it’s a crazy idea. They’re against that. And so I think the Congress could be passing an assault weapon ban.
The Syrian army now, with support from Russian forces, is recovering its land in the south and restoring the authority of the Syrian state, israel has no justification to carry out any action that obstructs the fight against terrorism.
Anyone else interested in talking will be admonished that it's within the authority of this court to punish such disturbances by criminal contempt, should do it.
People like Kayleigh can volunteer for the campaign, but obviously not in their government capacity or using their government authority, if she does have a position with the campaign, even unpaid, that could raise some questions about when and where she's worked on it, and whether she's used government resources to do so.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for authority
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- gesagAfrikaans
- سلطةArabic
- дәүләт, хөкүмәтBashkir
- ўладаBelarusian
- власт, авторитет, познавач, властиBulgarian
- autoritaCzech
- myndighedDanish
- Autorität, BehördeGerman
- ŋusẽEwe
- εξουσία, αρχή, αρχές, αυθεντίαGreek
- instanco, aŭtoritatoEsperanto
- autoridadSpanish
- võim, asjatundjaEstonian
- قدرتPersian
- vaikutusvalta, asiantuntija, viranomaiset, käskyvalta, auktoriteettiFinnish
- autoritéFrench
- urlámhas, údarásIrish
- ùghdarrasScottish Gaelic
- autoridadeGalician
- בר-סמכא, סמכות, רשויותHebrew
- tekintéy, felhatalmazás, hatóság, meghatalmazás, szaktekintélyHungarian
- հեղինակությունArmenian
- autoritàItalian
- סמכותHebrew
- 権威, 当局, 権力Japanese
- 권력자, 권능, 권력, 권위자Korean
- بهردهستی, دهسهڵاتKurdish
- башчы, чоңдор, бедел, кадыр-барк, түп, билгич, беделдүүлүк, ыйгарым укук, кадырлуулук, авторитеттүүлүк, бийлик, авторитет, кадыр, негиз, уруксатKyrgyz
- auctoritatisLatin
- AutoritéitLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- kanoiMāori
- awtoritarju, awtoritá, awtoritarjaMaltese
- bevoegdheid, autoriteiten, autoriteit, gezagDutch
- autoritetNorwegian
- autorytet, władzaPolish
- autoridadePortuguese
- autoritate, autoritățiRomanian
- власть, авторитетRussian
- avtoritetaSlovene
- autoritetAlbanian
- auktoritet, myndighetSwedish
- mamlakaSwahili
- அதிகாரம்Tamil
- అధికారముTelugu
- yetkeTurkish
- владаUkrainian
- اقتدارUrdu
- אויטאָריטעטYiddish
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"authority." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/authority>.
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