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

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Authoritynoun

   Etymology: auctoritas, Lat.

   1. Legal power.

   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.

   2. Influence; credit.

   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.

   3. Power; rule.

   But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 1 Tim. ii. 12.

   4. Support; justification; countenance.

   Do’st thou expect th’ authority of their voices,
   Whose silent wills condemn thee? Ben Jonson, Catiline.

   5. Testimony.

   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.

   6. Weight of testimony; credibility.

   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(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. 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.

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. Youssef Kabbaj:

   Haitem has been referred to us by the Libyan Investment Authority, one of our strategic accounts in the MENA region that has produced this year almost $l00m in revenues.

2. Fawzi Barhoum:

   We hold President Abbas personally responsible for the aggressive campaign against Hamas in the West Bank, it is part of a dual campaign by the Zionist enemy (Israel) and the Palestinian Authority to uproot Hamas and the resistance.

3. Gabriel Sterling:

   The reason I'm having to stand here today is because there are people in positions of authority and respect who have said their votes didn't count, and it's not true.

4. Scott Walker:

   Despite all the hype and hysteria out there, these bills do nothing to fundamentally diminish executive authority, the bottom line is the new governor will continue to be one of the most powerful chief executives in the country.

5. John Catanzara:

   I've made my status very clear as far as the vaccine, but I do not believe the city has the authority to mandate that to anybody let alone that information about your medical history and change the terms of employment so to speak on the fly.

Popularity rank by frequency of use