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

European auteurs and emergent names European auteurs and emergent names collide across strands. —Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025

Swept up in the cinema-making of Italy’s auteurs, Nicholas finds himself on the sets of Fellini’s Casanova and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, a harrowing film about the death throes and reincarnations of fascism made just before the director’s murder. —Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2025

Case in point: Ex-wife Isabella Rossellini’s assessment of the auteur’s religiosity is juxtaposed with a clip of Jake LaMotta banging his head against a wall. —Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025

Paprika was the final film by Perfect Blue auteur Satoshi Kon before his premature death at 46. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Oct. 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