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
au·teur·ism
ō-ˈtər-ˌi-zəm 
-ˈtœr-
plural -s
auteuristic
adjective
ˌō-ˌtər-ˈi-stik,
-ˌtœr-
While it might be too glib to say that Allen's art mirrors his life, it is certainly true to say that his films are auteuristic expressions of his own neuroses and concerns.
—
Neil Norman, Evening Standard (London), 14 Aug. 1992
Neil Norman, Evening Standard (London), 14 Aug. 1992
Examples of auteur in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, 13 June 2026
Modeling found her first and acting came later, after years of secretly nurturing ambitions inspired by European auteurs such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Luis Buñuel and Federico Fellini.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 June 2026
The auteur, of course, has written and directed several classic films, beginning with Reservoir Dogs in 1992.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 3 June 2026
In the decade since her public coming-out as a trans woman — after years spent as a reclusive auteur around whom basic physical evidence barely existed — Wachowski has done a bit more to put herself in a public spotlight.
—Nick Newman, IndieWire, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for auteur
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Noun
But this just feels like a Spielberg auteur film to me.
—Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, 13 June 2026
Modeling found her first and acting came later, after years of secretly nurturing ambitions inspired by European auteurs such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Luis Buñuel and Federico Fellini.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 June 2026
The auteur, of course, has written and directed several classic films, beginning with Reservoir Dogs in 1992.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 3 June 2026
In the decade since her public coming-out as a trans woman — after years spent as a reclusive auteur around whom basic physical evidence barely existed — Wachowski has done a bit more to put herself in a public spotlight.
—Nick Newman, IndieWire, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for auteur
Cite this Entry
“Auteur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auteur. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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