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

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

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

• blotter
• cotter
• daughter
• hotter
• mater
• otter
• plotter
• rotter
• slaughter
• spotter
• squatter
• totter