Synonyms of official

official 1 of 2

noun

ə-ˈfi-shəl 

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

• officer
• administrator
• director
• manager
• executive
• functionary
• commissioner
• public servant
• officeholder
• chair
• chairman
• superintendent
• supervisor
• bureaucrat
• regulator
• head
• minion
• flunky
• underling
• co-official

official

2 of 2

adjective

as in authorized

ordered or allowed by those in authority

the official languages for those Olympic Games were French and English

Synonyms & Similar Words

• authorized
• legitimate
• promoted
• legal
• lawful
• sanctioned
• suggested
• authoritative
• supported
• approved
• endorsed
• licensed
• regulation
• permissible
• certified
• legit
• canonical
• semiofficial
• licit
• encouraged
• abetted
• ex officio

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unofficial
• unauthorized
• illegal
• unlawful
• nonofficial
• wrongful
• illicit
• unsanctioned
• illegitimate
• impermissible
• lawless
• unlicensed
• unapproved
• verboten

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of official

Noun

Essayli and other federal officials on Monday held up Shah’s case and the 27 others as proof the state was not enforcing citizenship. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026

State officials said the isolated instances of noncitizens voting, if accurate, are not evidence of widespread voter fraud. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Adjective

The office declared that the doctrine covers not only official advisers, but can also expand to cover outside associates consulted by the president in certain circumstances. — Perry Stein, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026

The 2026 honors were led by Sergei Loznitsa‘s Imperium, which won the best film award in the official competition, and Asmahan Bkerat’s Concrete Land, which was named the winner of the Grierson Award in the LFF documentary competition. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026