authority

noun

1. 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”

   Synonyms

   • authorization, authorisation, potency, dominance, say-so

   Less specific

   • control

   More specific

   • power of appointment, carte blanche, command, imperium, lordship, muscle, sovereignty

2. (usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others; “the authorities have issued a curfew”

   Less specific

   • person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul

   More specific

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

3. an expert whose views are taken as definitive; “he is an authority on corporate law”

   Less specific

   • expert

   More specific

   • adviser, advisor, consultant, connoisseur, cognoscente, evaluator, judge, high priest, liturgist, master, professional

4. 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”

   Synonyms

   • assurance, self-assurance, confidence, self-confidence, sureness

   Less specific

   • certainty

5. an administrative unit of government; “the Central Intelligence Agency”; “the Census Bureau”; “Office of Management and Budget”; “Tennessee Valley Authority”

   Synonyms

   • agency, federal agency, government agency, bureau, office

   Less specific

   • administrative unit, administrative body

   More specific

   • executive agency, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, Counterterrorist Center, CTC, Nonproliferation Center, NPC, Bureau of the Census, Census Bureau, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, National Climatic Data Center, NCDC (more) , National Weather Service, Technology Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, National Technical Information Service, NTIS, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Department of Defense Laboratory System, LABLINK, Department of Energy Intelligence, DOEI, United States Public Health Service, PHS, National Institutes of Health, NIH, Bureau of Justice Assistance, BJA, Bureau of Justice Statistics, BJS, 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, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, FWS, 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, Federal Aviation Agency, FAA, Transportation Security Administration, TSA, Government Accounting Office, GAO, United States Government Accounting Office, United States Navy, US Navy, USN, Navy, United States Coast Guard, U, 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, United States Air Force, U, US Air Force, Air Force, USAF, Air Force Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Air Force ISR, AFISR, 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, United States Government Printing Office, US Government Printing Office, Government Printing Office, GPO, National Guard Bureau, NGB, United States Army, US Army, U, Army, USA, Army Intelligence, AI, 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

6. official permission or approval; “authority for the program was renewed several times”

   Synonyms

   • authorization, authorisation, sanction

   Less specific

   • permission

7. an authoritative written work; “this book is the final authority on the life of Milton”

   Less specific

   • book

   More specific

   • last word