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
• officeholder
• public servant
• chair
• chairman
• superintendent
• supervisor
• bureaucrat
• regulator
• head
• minion
• underling
• flunkey
• flunky
• flunkie
• 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
• indorsed
• 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

The city of Elgin plans to buy two anti-vehicle barricade systems to keep people safer at special events, officials said. —Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025

The Fort Worth Police Department’s Major Case Unit is investigating the shooting, officials said. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Feb. 2025

Adjective

His mother, Nitza Korngold, like other Israelis frustrated with the government’s lack of progress on a hostage release agreement, boycotted the official ceremony and attended an alternative commemoration. —Natan Odenheimer, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025

According to an official email viewed by Forbes, at least 3,500 IRS employees in the Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) division of the IRS alone were expected to lose their jobs. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025