Synonyms of authorities

authorities

noun

plural of authority

1

as in experts

a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field

the leading authority on neural anatomy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• experts
• scholars
• adepts
• masters
• artists
• gurus
• specialists
• wizards
• virtuosos
• hands
• professionals
• consultants
• maestros
• proficients
• past masters
• connoisseurs
• hotshots
• enthusiasts
• cognoscenti
• mavens
• sharks
• aces
• geeks
• sharps
• dab hands
• fiends
• fans
• craftsmen
• pros
• meisters
• devotees
• addicts
• whizzes
• aficionados
• dabs
• crackerjacks
• hired guns
• buffs
• mistresses
• journeymen
• Renaissance men
• jacks-of-all-trades
• all-rounders

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• amateurs
• nonexperts
• apprentices
• novices
• beginners
• neophytes
• laymen
• inexperts
• nonprofessionals
• dabblers
• dilettantes

2

as in governments

lawful control over the affairs of a political unit (as a nation)

the sheriff had authority over the whole county

Synonyms & Similar Words

• governments
• rules
• administrations
• governances
• regimes
• jurisdictions
• powers
• reigns
• regimens
• dictatorships
• sovereignties
• tyrannies
• leaderships
• regulations
• dominions
• managements
• oppressions
• dominations
• supremacies
• directions
• autocracies
• commands
• hegemonies
• sways
• supervisions
• subjugations
• superintendences
• masteries

3

as in influences

the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly

speaks with a persuasive authority on matters of public health

Synonyms & Similar Words

• influences
• sways
• weights
• leverages
• credits
• ins
• importances
• juices
• pulls
• consequences
• clouts
• dominions
• sovereignties
• impacts
• dominances
• supremacies
• commands
• moments
• reigns
• scepters
• hefts
• eminences
• counterinfluences
• predominances
• impressions
• impresses
• imprints
• marks
• masteries

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weaknesses
• impotences
• impotencies

4

as in powers

the right or means to command or control others

by the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you married

Synonyms & Similar Words

• powers
• dominions
• controls
• sways
• reigns
• jurisdictions
• reins
• arms
• commands
• clutches
• sovereignties
• grips
• influences
• privileges
• death grips
• managements
• voices
• dominances
• rights
• directions
• prerogatives
• holds
• weights
• masteries
• supremacies
• pulls
• predominances
• eminences
• clouts
• imperiums
• importances
• leverages
• moments

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weaknesses
• impotences
• impotencies

5

as in reasons

something (as a belief) that serves as the basis for another thing

I had good authority to believe that the information was correct

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reasons
• motives
• subjects
• grounds
• accounts
• causes
• incentives
• considerations
• antecedents
• whys
• occasions
• stimuli
• wherefores
• impetuses
• inspirations
• instigations

6

as in sources

something mentioned in a text as providing related and especially supporting information

the Bible is the sole authority for his impassioned defense of creationism

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sources
• references
• quotations
• citations
• extracts
• excerpts
• footnotes
• cross-references
• notes
• captions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of authorities

The driver of the Mercedes-Benz remained at the scene until authorities arrived. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Two people were stabbed, one fatally, near Times Square on Monday afternoon, with responding authorities shooting and killing the female suspect, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026

The attack struck civilian infrastructure and residential buildings in several districts of Kyiv, authorities said, with eight people killed in the city itself and three others in the surrounding region. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026

The latest attack struck civilian infrastructure and residential buildings in several districts of Kyiv, authorities said, with eight people killed in the city and four others in the surrounding region. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Sunil Pandey Speaking with NBC News in Pokhara, Nabin Karki, a superintendent of police, said authorities were collecting DNA samples and displaying photos of the bodies found in hopes that family members might be able to identify them. — Surendra Phuyal, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026

Milby said solving and preventing these crimes requires that local, state and federal authorities work together seamlessly. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026

When federal authorities announced the case in 2022, investigators said Jacobsen may have been in contact with as many as 175 potential victims through Snapchat. — Dean J. Condoleo, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026

However, the plan imposes no mandatory cuts on the four upper basin states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming — which, unlike the lower basin, cannot be compelled to cut water by federal authorities. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026