English dictionary



Hint: With the Firefox addon you can search this dictionary from the browsers search field.

English noun: authority

1. authority (attribute) the power or right to give orders or make decisions


SamplesHe has the authority to issue warrants.
Deputies are given authorization to make arrests.
A place of potency in the state.


Synonymsauthorisation, authorization, dominance, potency, say-so


Broader (hypernym)control


Narrower (hyponym)carte blanche, command, imperium, lordship, muscle, power of appointment, sovereignty

2. authority (person) (usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others


SamplesThe authorities have issued a curfew.


Broader (hypernym)individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul


Narrower (hyponym)abrogator, allocator, approver, authoriser, authority figure, authorizer, civil authority, civil officer, distributor, mandator, pacha, pasha, rebuker, reproacher, reprover, upbraider, withdrawer


Domain usageplural, plural form

3. authority (person) an expert whose views are taken as definitive


SamplesHe is an authority on corporate law.


Broader (hypernym)expert


Narrower (hyponym)adviser, advisor, cognoscente, connoisseur, consultant, evaluator, high priest, judge, liturgist, master, professional

4. authority (cognition) freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities


SamplesHis assurance in his superiority did not make him popular.
After that failure he lost his confidence.
She spoke with authority.


Synonymsassurance, confidence, self-assurance, self-confidence, sureness


Broader (hypernym)certainty


Attributecertain, incertain, sure, uncertain, unsure

5. authority (group) an administrative unit of government


SamplesThe Central Intelligence Agency.
The Census Bureau.
Office of Management and Budget.
Tennessee Valley Authority.


Synonymsagency, bureau, federal agency, government agency, office


Broader (hypernym)administrative body, administrative unit


Narrower (hyponym)Advanced Research and Development Activity, AFISR, AI, Air Force, Air Force Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Air Force ISR, ARDA, Army, Army Intelligence, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, BJA, BJS, BMDO, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Bureau of the Census, Casualty Care Research Center, CCRC, CDC, Census Bureau, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Comptroller of the Currency, Counterterrorist Center, CTC, Customs Bureau, Customs Service, DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Information Systems Agency, Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service, Defense Technical Information Center, Department of Defense Laboratory System, Department of Energy Intelligence, DISA, DOEI, DRMS, DS, DTIC, executive agency, FAA, FDA, Federal Aviation Agency, Federal Housing Administration, FHA, Financial Management Service, Food and Drug Administration, Foreign Service, FWS, GAO, Government Accounting Office, Government Printing Office, GPO, Immigration and Naturalization Service, independent agency, INR, INS, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, LABLINK, law enforcement agency, local authority, Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, MCIA, National Climatic Data Center, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Guard Bureau, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institutes of Health, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, National Technical Information Service, National Weather Service, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Naval Special Warfare, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Naval Underwater Warfare Center, Navy, NAWCWPNS, NCDC, NGA, NGB, NIH, NIST, NOAA, Nonproliferation Center, NPC, NSW, NSWC, NTIS, NUWC, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Office of Intelligence Support, Office of Naval Intelligence, OIS, ONI, organ, OSHA, Patent and Trademark Office Database, Patent Office, PHS, Technology Administration, Transportation Security Administration, TSA, U. S. Air Force, U. S. Army, U. S. Coast Guard, United States Air Force, United States Army, United States Border Patrol, United States Coast Guard, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Government Accounting Office, United States Government Printing Office, United States Navy, United States Public Health Service, US Air Force, US Army, US Border Patrol, US Coast Guard, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Government Printing Office, US Navy, USA, USAF, USCB, USN


Instance hyponymAFRL, AHPCRC, Air Force Research Laboratory, Army High Performance Computing Research Center, Naval Research Laboratory, NRL, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, US Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, USACIL

6. authority (attribute) official permission or approval


SamplesAuthority for the program was renewed several times.


Synonymsauthorisation, authorization, sanction


Broader (hypernym)permission

7. authority (communication) an authoritative written work


SamplesThis book is the final authority on the life of Milton.


Broader (hypernym)book


Narrower (hyponym)last word









Based on WordNet 3.0 copyright © Princeton University.
Web design: Orcapia v/Per Bang. English edition: .
2024 onlineordbog.dk