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
Luis Martinez, ABC News, 22 June 2025
At that point, officials finally revealed almost 15,000 New Yorkers had died from COVID in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, which was 6,000 more than Cuomo had previously admitted.
—Bill Hammond, New York Daily News, 22 June 2025
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 June 2025
The basis for the lock-ins was only recorded in official log books in three of the seven instances, the report found.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for official
Noun
The mission included the first use of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs, or MOP, which had only previously been used in a testing role, according to officials.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 22 June 2025
At that point, officials finally revealed almost 15,000 New Yorkers had died from COVID in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, which was 6,000 more than Cuomo had previously admitted.
—Bill Hammond, New York Daily News, 22 June 2025
Adjective
Busan Unveils Fund Selection The 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF)’s Asian Cinema Fund (ACF) has unveiled its 14 official selections after receiving 850 submissions, a record-setting 23% increase on the previous year.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 June 2025
The basis for the lock-ins was only recorded in official log books in three of the seven instances, the report found.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for official
Recent Examples of Synonyms for official
Noun
-
Towels Pop all of your family's bath and hand towels into the wash every Friday, advises Tanu Grewal, who is the chief cleaning officer at Pinalen Cleaner, Cloralen Bleach, and Ensueno Laundry in Houston, Texas.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
20 June 2025
-
Writer/director Williams spent four years visiting Australian prisons and interviewing officers and inmates, many of whom are featured.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
Chase is also skyrocketing the annual fee for an additional authorized user from $75 to $195 per year.—
David Rae,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
Yellin added that for her personally, the annual fee is going up by a whopping $365, which includes the fee difference for both herself as the primary cardmember and her authorized user.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Official.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/official. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share