Definition of Authority

1. Noun. The power or right to give orders or make decisions. "A place of potency in the state"

Exact synonyms: Authorisation, Authorization, Dominance, Potency, Say-so
Specialized synonyms: Power Of Appointment, Carte Blanche, Command, Imperium, Lordship, Muscle, Sovereignty
Generic synonyms: Control
Derivative terms: Dominate, Potent

2. Noun. (usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others. "The authorities have issued a curfew"

3. Noun. An expert whose views are taken as definitive. "He is an authority on corporate law"

4. Noun. Freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities. "She spoke with authority"

5. Noun. An administrative unit of government. "Tennessee Valley Authority"
Exact synonyms: Agency, Bureau, Federal Agency, Government Agency, Office
Specialized synonyms: Afrl, Air Force Research Laboratory, Ahpcrc, 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
Generic synonyms: Administrative Body, Administrative Unit
Specialized synonyms: Executive Agency, Fda, Food And Drug Administration, Cdc, Center For Disease Control And Prevention, Counterterrorist Center, Ctc, Nonproliferation Center, Npc, Bureau Of The Census, Census Bureau, National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration, Noaa, National Climatic Data Center, Ncdc, National Weather Service, Technology Administration, National Institute Of Standards And Technology, Nist, National Technical Information Service, Ntis, Darpa, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Department Of Defense Laboratory System, Lablink, Department Of Energy Intelligence, Doei, Phs, United States Public Health Service, National Institutes Of Health, Nih, Bja, Bureau Of Justice Assistance, Bjs, Bureau Of Justice Statistics, Immigration And Naturalization Service, Ins, United States Border Patrol, Us Border Patrol, Bureau Of Diplomatic Security, Ds, Foreign Service, Bureau Of Intelligence And Research, Inr, Fws, United States Fish And Wildlife Service, Us Fish And Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Financial Management Service, Office Of Intelligence Support, Ois, Comptroller Of The Currency, Bureau Of Customs, Customs Bureau, Customs Service, Uscb, Bureau Of Engraving And Printing, Internal Revenue Service, Irs, Faa, Federal Aviation Agency, Transportation Security Administration, Tsa, Gao, Government Accounting Office, United States Government Accounting Office, Navy, United States Navy, Us Navy, Usn, U. S. Coast Guard, United States Coast Guard, Us Coast Guard, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Nawcwpns, Naval Special Warfare, Nsw, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Nswc, Naval Underwater Warfare Center, Nuwc, Office Of Naval Intelligence, Oni, Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, Mcia, Air Force, U. S. Air Force, United States Air Force, Us Air Force, Usaf, Afisr, Air Force Intelligence Surveillance And Reconnaissance, Air Force Isr, Independent Agency, Advanced Research And Development Activity, Arda, Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Reutilization And Marketing Service, Drms, Defense Technical Information Center, Dtic, Law Enforcement Agency, Occupational Safety And Health Administration, Osha, Organ, Patent And Trademark Office Database, Patent Office, Government Printing Office, Gpo, United States Government Printing Office, Us Government Printing Office, National Guard Bureau, Ngb, Army, U. S. Army, United States Army, Us Army, Usa, Ai, Army Intelligence, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, Bmdo, Defense Information Systems Agency, Disa, National Geospatial-intelligence Agency, Nga, Casualty Care Research Center, Ccrc, Federal Housing Administration, Fha, Local Authority
Derivative terms: Official

6. Noun. Official permission or approval. "Authority for the program was renewed several times"
Exact synonyms: Authorisation, Authorization, Sanction
Generic synonyms: Permission
Derivative terms: Authorise, Authorize, Sanction

7. Noun. An authoritative written work. "This book is the final authority on the life of Milton"
Generic synonyms: Book
Specialized synonyms: Last Word

Definition of Authority

1. n. 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.

Definition of Authority

1. Noun. The power to enforce rules or give orders. ¹

2. Noun. (context: used in singular or plural form) Persons in command; specifically, government. ¹

3. Noun. A person accepted as a source of reliable information on a subject. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Authority

1. [n -TIES]

Lexicographical Neighbors of Authority

authorised term
authorised terms
authoriser
authorises
authorising
authorism
authoritarian
authoritarian personality
authoritarianism
authoritarians
authoritative
authoritatively
authoritativeness
authoritie
authorities
authority (current term)
authority figure
authorityless
authorizable
authorization
authorizations
authorize
authorized
authorized shares
authorized stock
authorized term
authorized terms
authorizer
authorizers
authorizes

Literary usage of Authority

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, Henry Reeve (1899)
"Sometimes, even, they are allowed by the popular authority to exceed those bounds ; and as they are protected by the opinion, and backed by the co-operation ..."

2. Institutes of the Christian Religion by Jean Calvin (1921)
"THE SUSPENSION OF ITS authority ON THE JUDGMENT OF THE CHURCH, AN IMPIOUS FICTION. BEFORE I proceed any further, it is proper to introduce some remarks on ..."

3. The Confessions of S. Augustine by Augustine, Edward Bouverie Pusey (1838)
"involves ascribing undue authority to men fallible like ourselves, ... That the appeal to the Fathers entails a disparagement of the authority of our own ..."

4. The Federalist: A Commentary on the Constitution of the United States, Being by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, Henry Cabot Lodge (1888)
"The inference from the whole is, that the individual States would, under the proposed Constitution, retain an independent and uncontrollable authority to ..."

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