as in officer
a person who holds a public office
some of our best public officials do their jobs quietly and are never in the news
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in authorized
ordered or allowed by those in authority
the official languages for those Olympic Games were French and English
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of official
ABC News, 13 May 2026
Multiple fire companies were already nearby after clearing the scene of a crash on Route 30 near the Manchester town line, fire officials said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 May 2026
Matthew Chin, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Madar has never signed an official NBA contract, and Boston still owns his draft rights.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for official
Noun
And yet Ken Martin, the man leading the Democratic National Committee, is facing a crisis of confidence among party officials who are increasingly concerned about the health of their political machine barely a year into his term.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Multiple fire companies were already nearby after clearing the scene of a crash on Route 30 near the Manchester town line, fire officials said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 May 2026
Adjective
The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the joint venture before Blackstone’s official statement, said the private equity giant would hold a majority stake, citing sources familiar with the matter.
—Matthew Chin, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Madar has never signed an official NBA contract, and Boston still owns his draft rights.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for official
Recent Examples of Synonyms for official
Noun
-
Upon arrival, officers located a person with a single gunshot wound.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
-
One of them, former Imperial officer the Client (Werner Herzog), hires Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) to retrieve an asset.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
But the first-ever authorized project about Ali’s life is a serious affair.—
Wendy Naugle,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
-
On April 26, the suspect followed an authorized vehicle onto the property, but was again halted by officers.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Official.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/official. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
