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
Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2025
The county has said the liability for these lawsuits could be in the billions, which officials warn would be catastrophic to the region’s social safety net.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2025
Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2025
Prime Video has confirmed that the teen drama’s upcoming third season will be its last, making the announcement on Friday via the show’s official Instagram account.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for official
Noun
Its boundaries were drawn in the 1930s, and federal officials did not take into account the ridge-line development might occur overlooking the park, conservancy officials said.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2025
The county has said the liability for these lawsuits could be in the billions, which officials warn would be catastrophic to the region’s social safety net.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The official report noted that 170 civilians were casualties of what Chun’s regime referred to as the Gwangju Riot.
—Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2025
Prime Video has confirmed that the teen drama’s upcoming third season will be its last, making the announcement on Friday via the show’s official Instagram account.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for official
Articles Related to official
Cite this Entry
“Official.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/official. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share