official 1 of 2

noun

ə-ˈfi-shəl How to pronounce official (audio)
Definition of officialnext
as in officer
a person who holds a public office some of our best public officials do their jobs quietly and are never in the news

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official

2 of 2

adjective

as in authorized
ordered or allowed by those in authority the official languages for those Olympic Games were French and English

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of official
Noun
Essayli and other federal officials on Monday held up Shah’s case and the 27 others as proof the state was not enforcing citizenship. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026 State officials said the isolated instances of noncitizens voting, if accurate, are not evidence of widespread voter fraud. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Adjective
The office declared that the doctrine covers not only official advisers, but can also expand to cover outside associates consulted by the president in certain circumstances. — Perry Stein, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026 The 2026 honors were led by Sergei Loznitsa‘s Imperium, which won the best film award in the official competition, and Asmahan Bkerat’s Concrete Land, which was named the winner of the Grierson Award in the LFF documentary competition. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for official
Recent Examples of Synonyms for official
  1. officer
  2. authorized
Noun
  • Kering, which welcomed veteran automobile executive Luca de Meo as chief executive officer in September 2025, seems in a mood to shake up the group’s creative ranks.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Upon entering the school building, Krantz said, officers confirmed that the suspect was dead and found the four other people who died from their injuries, and their families have been notified.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of officer
Adjective
  • An authorized person should always be able to pause or shut down a model mid-task.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Human commanders are expected to designate authorized targets and establish mission parameters before launch.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of authorized

Browse Nearby Words

offices
official
officials
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Cite this Entry

“Official.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/official. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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