authority
[noun]
Synonyms:
- power, command, control, direction, influence, supremacy, sway, weight
- usually plural: powers that be, administration, government, management, officialdom, police, the Establishment
- expert, connoisseur, judge, master, professional, specialist

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Related Words: governance, government, rule, example, exemplar, ideal, model, pattern, standard, force, power, pressure

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English Thesaurus: expert, specialist, authority, connoisseur, buff, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

au‧thor‧i‧ty W1 AC /ɔːˈθɒrəti, ɔːˈθɒrɪti, ə- $ ɒːˈθɑː-, əˈθɔː-/ noun (plural authorities)
[Word Family: noun: authority, authorization, authoritarian, authoritarianism; adjective: authoritarian, authoritative, authorized ≠ unauthorized; verb: authorize; adverb: authoritatively]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: auctorité, from Latin auctoritas 'opinion, decision, power', from auctor; ⇒ author¹]

1. POWER [uncountable] the power you have because of your official position
the authority to do something
Only the president has the authority to declare war.
authority over
Several countries claim authority over the islands.
in authority
I need to speak to someone in authority (=who has a position of power).

2. the authorities [plural] the people or organizations that are in charge of a particular country or area:
an agreement between the US and Colombian authorities

3. ORGANIZATION [countable] an official organization or a government department that has the power to make decisions, and has particular responsibilities:
the local authority
East Sussex Education Authority
the San Diego Water Authority
Welsh health authorities face a £13m deficit this year.

4. EXPERT [countable] someone who knows a lot about a subject and whose knowledge and opinions are greatly respected
authority on
Mr Li is a leading authority on Chinese food.

5. PERMISSION [uncountable and countable] official permission to do something
under the authority of somebody
The attack took place under the authority of the UN Security Council.
without sb’s authority
No one may enter without my authority.

6. authority figure someone who has a position of power, especially because of their job:
teenage rebellion against authority figures

7. PERSONAL QUALITY [uncountable] a quality in the way you speak or behave which makes people obey you:
Jack’s air of quiet authority

8. I have it on good authority used to say that you are sure that something is true because you trust the person who told you about it

9. speak with authority to be sure of what you are saying, because of your knowledge or experience

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

authority
noun
I. sth with the power to give orders
ADJ. district, local, regional | government, public | education, health, military, planning, tax The government is urging education authorities to spend less money.
competent, lawful, relevant, statutory
AUTHORITY + VERB agree sth, claim sth, decide sth, deny sth, promise sth The local health authority denied negligence.
allow (sb) sth, give (sb) sth, grant (sb) sth The local authority has not granted planning permission.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

authority
II. power/right to give orders
ADJ. absolute, complete, full, supreme | governmental, judicial, legal, ministerial, parental, presidential
VERB + AUTHORITY have Parents have the authority to discipline their children.
assume He assumed full authority as tsar in 1689.
give sb | assert, demonstrate, establish, exercise, exert, show, use, wield The new manager obviously felt the need to demonstrate her authority.
delegate | give up, relinquish | abuse | challenge, defy, deny, rebel against, reject, undermine She had challenged my authority once too often.
usurp
AUTHORITY + NOUN figure adult authority figures such as parents and teachers
PREP. in ~ I need to talk to someone in authority.
under the ~ of This can only be done under the authority of the government minister.
without ~ He took the car without authority.
~ over Central government has extensive authority over teachers.
PHRASES an air of authority He bore an air of authority.
position of authority She holds a position of authority in the local church.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

authority
III. person with special knowledge
ADJ. leading, respected, world | unimpeachable, unquestioned
VERB + AUTHORITY cite, invoke Copernicus justified his innovation by citing respected authorities.
PREP. ~ on She's a leading authority on genetics.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

authority

have authority
Teachers should have the authority to discipline their students.
He has no authority over us anymore.
exercise/exert your authority (also wield authority formal) (=use your authority)
In practice it’s very difficult for the president to exercise his authority.
He was one of those people who want to wield authority over others.
abuse/misuse your authority (=use your authority in a bad way)
The mayor was accused of abusing his authority and taking bribes.
establish/assert/impose/stamp your authority (=show people that you have authority)
The new manager was anxious to establish her authority.
Robertson quickly stamped his authority on the team.
The State Department pressed him to take bolder steps to assert his authority.
lose your authority
He’s worried that he is losing his authority over the party.
undermine/weaken sb’s authority (=make someone’s authority weaker)
I wasn’t trying to undermine your authority.
exceed/overstep your authority (=do more than you have the power or right to do)
A higher court decided that the judge had exceeded his authority.
challenge sb’s authority (=try to take the power away from someone)
There had been no-one to really challenge his authority.
full/complete/total authority
The manager has full authority to make decisions.
absolute authority (=complete authority over everyone – used especially about the leader of a country)
In those days, the emperor had absolute authority.
parental authority
The younger children are more likely to resist parental authority.
governmental authority
Their failure undermined governmental authority.
presidential authority
A number of constitutional amendments have increased presidential authority.
legal authority
US agents have legal authority to bring criminals back from overseas.
be in a position of authority
I’ve never been in a position of authority before.
have an air of authority approving (=look like you have authority, in a way that makes people obey you)
The commander had an unmistakeable air of authority.
a challenge to sb’s authority
The leadership saw the demonstrations as a challenge to their authority.
an authority figure (=someone, such as a parent or teacher, who has the power to tell young people what they can do)
The teacher is an authority figure, like the parent.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

authority
noun
BAD: Those who bend the rules are reported to the authority.
GOOD: Those who bend the rules are reported to the authorities.
BAD: The authority had refused them even their basic civil rights.
GOOD: The authorities had refused them even their basic civil rights.

Usage Note:
To refer in a general way to the officials who make all the important decisions in a country, use the authorities : 'The authorities estimate that nearly 100,000 immigrants have entered the country illegally.'
As a countable noun, authority refers to an official group or organization that controls an area or activity: 'You can claim housing benefit from your local authority.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

expert someone who has a lot of knowledge about something or skill at doing something:
a computer expert
an expert on beetles
It’s best to ask an expert.
specialist an expert who has studied a particular medical or technical subject for a long time and knows much more about it than other people:
She is a specialist in corporate finance.
My doctor sent me to see a heart specialist.
authority an expert whose knowledge and opinions are greatly respected:
The professor is one of the world’s leading authorities on African art.
connoisseur /ˌkɒnəˈsɜː $ ˌkɑːnəˈsɜːr/ an expert on food, art, literature, or design, who has had a lot of experience and knows when something is of very good quality:
He was a connoisseur of fine wines.
His works are popular among connoisseurs.
buff /bʌf/ informal someone who is very interested in a subject and knows a lot about it:
a wine buff
Jazz buffs will be familiar with the band’s first album.
virtuoso /ˌvɜːtʃuˈəʊsəʊ $ ˌvɜːrtʃuˈoʊsoʊ/ an expert player or performer:
The piece was played by violin virtuoso Pavel Sporcl.
a virtuoso pianist
expert advice
Get some expert advice before investing in a property.
expert opinion (=the opinions of people who know a lot about something)
Expert opinion on the matter is deeply divided.
expert evidence/testimony
Two doctors were called to give expert testimony at the inquiry.
expert knowledge
He has expert knowledge of the plants and animals in this area.
expert eye (=the eyes of someone who knows a lot about something)
To the expert eye, this is a beautiful example of early Roman pottery.
accomplished very skilful because you have had a lot of experience of doing something - used especially about musicians, artists, performers etc:
a highly accomplished pianist
She is one of the most accomplished theatre performers.
She's a popular dancer, and very accomplished.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲