anti-authority

adjective

an·​ti-au·​thor·​i·​ty ˌan-tē-ə-ˈthär-ə-tē 

-ȯ-, 

-ˈthȯr-, 

ˌan-ˌtī-

: opposed to or hostile toward authority : antiauthoritarian

The notion of educators being in loco parentis did not survive the anti-authority upheavals of the 1960s.

—Jon Kyl

Examples of anti-authority in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adams continued to stake out a personal brand as a proponent of common sense in defiance of groupthink and jargon, but his barbs became less anti-authority and more laced with grievance and ideological signaling. — Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 13 Jan. 2026

The number has risen and fallen on some predictable lines, including the current surge of anti-authority sentiment. — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 21 Oct. 2025

While Bruce the shark tore through limbs, there were also conspiracy thrillers, period dramas, counterculture satires, and deeply anti-authority crime flicks to rule the roost. — Christina Newland, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025

While punk rock’s counterculture spirit was often associated with anti-authority sentiments, the OC punk bands were more varied with that message. — Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 5 June 2025

Instead, Durov has spent years cultivating Telegram’s image as a proudly anti-authority platform. — Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2024

By the late ’60s, aided by a free-love, anti-authority mentality, folks began hacking the legs off their jeans to create shorts. — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 4 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for anti-authority

• exteriority
• inferiority
• superiority
• authority
• majority
• minority
• priority
• seniority
• sonority
• sorority