official

noun
of·​fi·​cial | \ ə-ˈfi-shəl How to pronounce official (audio) , ō- \

Definition of official

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : one who holds or is invested (see invest entry 2 sense 1) with an office : officer government officials A company official responded to our request.
2 : one who administers the rules of a game or sport especially as a referee or umpire a football official

official

adjective

Definition of official (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : of or relating to an office, position, or trust official duties official documents
2 : holding an office : having authority the president's official representative
3a : authoritative, authorized official statement an official biography
b : prescribed or recognized as authorized an official language
c : described by the U.S. Pharmacopeia or the National Formulary The official drug is sold under several trade names.
4 : befitting or characteristic of a person in office extended an official greeting official condolences

Other Words from official

Adjective

officially \ ə-​ˈfi-​sh(ə-​)lē How to pronounce official (audio) , ō-​ \ adverb

Synonyms & Antonyms for official

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Adjective

Antonyms: Adjective

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Examples of official in a Sentence

Noun She interviewed a senior official from the previous administration. A company official responded to our request. Adjective She was accused of destroying official documents. Her illness did not prevent her from performing her official duties. The Vice President is on an official trip. We extended an official greeting to the ambassador. See More
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The stress of the confrontation combined with alcoholism and morbid obesity contributed to his death, the official said. NBC News, 8 Apr. 2022 The Biden administration is also eying an expansion of sanctions on Sberbank, Russia's largest financial institution, and Alfa Bank, another large lender, the official said. Kaitlan Collins, CNN, 6 Apr. 2022 By early March, about two hundred mercenaries, some of whom belonged to the group, had already died on the battlefield, the official said. Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2022 Today, with temporary deployments designed to shore up NATO’s eastern flank, there are more than 100,000, the official said. Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2022 Roughly 13 of those BTGs are now either in Belarus or on their way there, the official said. Matt Seyler, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2022 Russian forces also appear to be repositioning artillery and troops to try to take the city of Izyum, which lies on a key route to the Donbas, the official said. chicagotribune.com, 4 Apr. 2022 The official said the tanks would allow Ukraine forces to conduct long-range artillery strikes on Russian targets in Donbas, which borders Russia. Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2022 Fire 'could have been a complete and utter disaster,' said official. Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Apr. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Ramírez must complete a physical before his signing is official. Joe Noga, cleveland, 9 Apr. 2022 The corridors in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk region include evacuation routes leading out of the cities of Melitopol and Mariupol, the Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on her official Telegram channel. NBC News, 8 Apr. 2022 Ramírez still must take a physical and numerous other details need to be finalized before the contract is official, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity. Tom Withers, ajc, 6 Apr. 2022 Ukraine’s state nuclear agency, Energoatom, reported about the attacks on its official Telegram channel, posting an accompanying video clip that featured what appeared to be loud blasts and flying debris. Julia Musto, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2022 Wedin scheduled an official visit to the Tigers this June. Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 1 Apr. 2022 Even Bungie's official Destiny YouTube channel got served a fraudulent takedown notice, the lawsuit said. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 28 Mar. 2022 The festival will also be streamed live on the Roots’ official YouTube channel. Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2022 More than 300,000 people have now volunteered their skills and joined an official Telegram channel where the IP addresses of Russian companies and websites to target with DDoS attacks are shared daily. Wired, 17 Mar. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'official.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of official

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

circa 1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for official

Noun

Middle English, "person presiding over an ecclesiastical court, domestic retainer," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin officiālis "person performing the duties of an office, head of an ecclesiastical court," going back to Latin, "attendant on a magistrate," derivative of officiālis "pertaining to fixed duties" — more at official entry 2

Adjective

Middle English, "functional (of a part of the body)," borrowed from Medieval Latin officiālis "functional, pertaining to duties of an office," going back to Latin, "pertaining to fixed duties," from officium "duty, office" + -ālis -al entry 1

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Time Traveler for official

Time Traveler

The first known use of official was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near official

office seeker

official

official at bat

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Statistics for official

Last Updated

10 Apr 2022

Cite this Entry

“Official.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/official. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022.

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More Definitions for official

official

noun
of·​fi·​cial | \ ə-ˈfi-shəl How to pronounce official (audio) \

Kids Definition of official

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: a person who holds a position of authority in an organization or government

official

adjective

Kids Definition of official (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : relating to a position of authority official duties
2 : having authority to perform a duty the official referee
3 : coming from or meeting the requirements of an authority an official team baseball We're waiting for the official announcement.
4 : proper for a person in office The White House is the President's official residence.

Other Words from official

officially adverb

official

adjective
of·​fi·​cial | \ ə-ˈfish-əl How to pronounce official (audio) \

Medical Definition of official

: prescribed or recognized as authorized specifically : described by the United States Pharmacopeia or the National Formulary — compare nonofficial, unofficial

Other Words from official

officially \ -​ˈfish-​(ə-​)lē How to pronounce official (audio) \ adverb

official

noun
of·​fi·​cial

Legal Definition of official

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: one who holds or is invested with an office especially in government a municipal official

official

adjective

Legal Definition of official (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, or holding an office, position, or trust official duties
2 : fully authorized an official policy of the bank

Other Words from official

officially adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on official

Nglish: Translation of official for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of official for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about official

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