Thesaurus
authority
noun
Synonyms and Antonyms of AUTHORITY
1
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field <the leading authority on neural anatomy>
Synonyms ace, adept, artist, authority, cognoscente, connoisseur, crackerjack (also crackajack), dab [chiefly British], dab hand [chiefly British], fiend, geek, guru, hand, hotshot, maestro, master, maven (also mavin), meister, past master, proficient, scholar, shark, sharp, virtuoso, whiz, wizard
Related Words pro, professional; consultant, hired gun, specialist; addict, aficionado (also afficionado), buff, devotee, enthusiast, fan; craftsman, journeyman; all-rounder [British], jack-of-all-trades, Renaissance man; mistress
2
lawful control over the affairs of a political unit (as a nation) <the sheriff had authority over the whole county>
Synonyms administration, authority, governance, government, jurisdiction, regime (also régime), regimen
Related Words reign; dominion, power, sovereignty (also sovranty), supremacy, sway; command, leadership; direction, management, regulation, superintendence, supervision; autocracy, dictatorship, domination, hegemony, mastery, oppression, subjugation, tyranny
3
the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly <speaks with a persuasive authority on matters of public health>
Related Words counterinfluence; command, dominance, dominion, mastery, predominance, reign, scepter, sovereignty (also sovranty), supremacy; consequence, eminence, importance, moment; impact, impress, impression, imprint, mark
4
the right or means to command or control others <by the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you married>
Synonyms arm, authority, clutch, command, control, death grip, dominion, grip, hold, mastery, reign, rein(s), sway
Related Words clout, influence, leverage, pull, voice, weight; jurisdiction; direction, management; dominance, imperium, predominance, sovereignty (also sovranty), supremacy; prerogative, privilege, right; eminence, importance, moment
Near Antonyms helplessness, weakness
5
something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing <I had good authority to believe that the information was correct>
Related Words antecedent, cause, consideration, impetus, incentive, inspiration, instigation, occasion, stimulus
6
7
the capacity to persuade <a strict grammarian whose pronouncements carried plenty of authority with my third-grade English teacher>
Synonyms authority, conclusiveness, convincingness, effectiveness, force, forcefulness, persuasion, persuasiveness, suasiveness
Related Words impact, might, power, punch, strength, weight; believability, credibility, soundness, validity; authoritativeness, definitiveness; influence, sway; appeal, seductiveness
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