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

German auteur Maren Ade will take the helm as president of the short films and La Cinef Jury at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025

All Quiet at Sunrise, which Parallax Films is selling, continues the auteur’s exploration of time and space, as well as human language and communication more broadly. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2025

Charles Melton is following in Ryan Gosling’s footsteps and collaborating with iconic auteur Nicolas Winding Refn. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2025

Netflix will later this year premiere Elixir from Indonesian horror auteur Kimo Stamboel, as well as Ziam from Thai director Tent Kulp Kaljareuk. —Sara Merican, Deadline, 22 Apr. 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