What does "official" mean?
An office holder, a person holding an official position in government, sports, or other organization.
Official
/əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Top 500 ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An office holder, a person holding an official position in government, sports, or other organization.
- Grammar: official is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: absolute, accepted, accredited, administration.
- Useful contrasts: unofficial, casual, colloquial phrases.
- Usage evidence: His official title at the company is Assistant to the President.
How to use "official"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "official" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "official" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "official" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "official" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "official" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "absolute" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "official", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An office holder, a person holding an official position in government, sports, or other organization.
"Officials in the Firefly administration assure the Sylvanians they don't want war either."
- 2 someone who administers the rules of a game or sport wordnet
- 3 a worker who holds or is invested with an office wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Of or about an office or public trust.
"official duties"
- 2 Derived from the proper office or officer, or the appropriate authority; made or communicated by authority
"an official statement or report"
- 3 Approved by authority; authorized.
"The Official Strategy Guide"
- 4 Approved by authority; authorized.; Dubious but recognized by authorities as the truth or canon.
"Despite these testimonies, "accidental asphyxiation" remains his official cause of death."
- 5 Sanctioned by the pharmacopoeia; appointed to be used in medicine; officinal.
"an official drug or preparation"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 Discharging an office or function.
"the stomach and other parts official unto nutrition"
- 7 Relating to an office, especially a subordinate executive officer or attendant.
- 8 Relating to an ecclesiastical judge appointed by a bishop, chapter, archdeacon, etc., with charge of the spiritual jurisdiction.
- 9 True, real, beyond doubt. informal
"Well, it's official: you lost your mind!"
- 10 Listed in a national pharmacopeia.
Adjective
- 1 having official authority or sanction wordnet
- 2 verified officially wordnet
- 3 (of a church) given official status as a national or state institution wordnet
- 4 conforming to set usage, procedure, or discipline wordnet
- 5 of or relating to an office wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"His official title at the company is Assistant to the President."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "official"?
Common synonyms include: absolute, accepted, accredited, administration, administrative, administrative.
How do you use "official" in a sentence?
His official title at the company is Assistant to the President.
How do you pronounce "official"?
Pronounced /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/.
Etymology
From Middle English official, from Old French official, from Latin officiālis, from Latin officium (“duty, service”), by surface analysis, office + -ial.