auteur

noun

au·​teur ō-ˈtu̇r How to pronounce auteur (audio)
-ˈtər
Synonyms of auteurnext
1
: a film director whose practice accords with the auteur theory
broadly : director sense c
2
: an artist (such as a musician or writer) whose style and practice are distinctive
auteurist adjective or noun

Examples of auteur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Arnaud Desplechin may be regarded as one of France’s quintessential auteurs, but American cinema has long been a guiding force in his imagination. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026 Both actors are fairly new entrants to the A-list, and equally committed to working with up-and-coming auteurs (Josh Safdie and Ryan Coogler, respectively); Chalamet’s and Jordan’s status helped get the directors’ blockbuster original features made. David Sims, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026 By and large, the siblings’ Hollywood sensibilities — David’s explosions, spectacle and big budgets to Megan’s auteurs, festivals and awards — have been seen as antithetical. Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 5 Mar. 2026 European auteurs, such as Thomas Ostermeier and Ivo van Hove have had great success burning through the texts to reveal the visceral clashes of characters whose souls are on the line along with their ideologies. Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for auteur

Word History

Etymology

French, originator, author, from Old French autor, from Latin auctor — more at author

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of auteur was in 1962

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Cite this Entry

“Auteur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auteur. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.

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