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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 More A-list auteurs started collaborating with Maisler, and few have looked back. David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026 In the late ‘60s, Duvall would appear in films directed by hip new auteurs such as Robert Altman (1968’s Countdown) and Francis Ford Coppola (1969’s The Rain People, opposite yet another Neighborhood Playhouse classmate, James Caan). Chris Nashawaty, Vanity Fair, 16 Feb. 2026 Like those auteurs, Lisa McGee broke through with a sui generis comedy that mined aspects of her own experience to find authentic humor in a harrowing situation. Judy Berman, Time, 13 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Auteur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auteur. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on auteur

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster