auteur

noun

au·​teur ō-ˈtu̇r 

-ˈtər

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

ō-ˈtər-ist 

adjective or noun

Examples of auteur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Indeed, throughout her adult life, Coppola, who died in 2024, at the age of eighty-seven, was known primarily through her husband, the Oscar-winning auteur Francis Ford Coppola, and later, too, her daughter, the director Sofia Coppola. —Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 Nov. 2025

Soon, Elordi began landing a slew of prominent parts in films from respected auteurs. —Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025

The 2010s belonged to a trio of Latino auteurs — Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo del Toro — who collectively claimed five directing statuettes between 2013 and 2018. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025

The auteur was honored at the Museum of Modern Art’s annual Film Benefit, in recognition of her era-defining contributions to cinema. —Sam Sussman, Vogue, 13 Nov. 2025

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

Phrases Containing auteur

• auteur theory

Rhymes for auteur

• amour
• grandeur
• hauteur
• velour
• verdure
• voyeur
• doer
• poor
• poore
• raconteur