anti-authority

adjective

an·​ti-au·​thor·​i·​ty ˌan-tē-ə-ˈthär-ə-tē How to pronounce anti-authority (audio)
-ȯ-,
-ˈthȯr-,
ˌan-ˌtī-
: opposed to or hostile toward authority : antiauthoritarian
The notion of educators being in loco parentis did not survive the anti-authority upheavals of the 1960s.Jon Kyl

Examples of anti-authority in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Instead, Durov has spent years cultivating Telegram’s image as a proudly anti-authority platform. Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2024 By the late ’60s, aided by a free-love, anti-authority mentality, folks began hacking the legs off their jeans to create shorts. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 4 July 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anti-authority.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anti-authority was in 1877

Dictionary Entries Near anti-authority

Cite this Entry

“Anti-authority.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-authority. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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