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

Movies, a cinematic experience with great auteurs and international acclaim, were seen as far more prestigious than television, despite the latter's much larger audience. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 June 2026

Netflix loves to trumpet their championing of cinematic auteurs like Martin Scorsese, Jane Campion, Alfonso Cuaron and Greta Gerwig, among many others. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026

Stanton, by far the most science-fiction-oriented of Pixar auteurs, has a habit of merging high-tech futurism and grand-scale optimism. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 19 June 2026

Forget about watching movies at the Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, Il Cinema in Piazza is an outdoor film festival (free by the way, there’s no charge for tickets) which runs during the summer in Rome, Italy, a mixture of films and retrospectives chosen by auteurs. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 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