auteur

noun

au·​teur ō-ˈtu̇r How to pronounce auteur (audio)
-ˈtər
Synonyms of auteurnext
1
: a film director whose practice accords with the auteur theory
broadly : director sense c
2
: an artist (such as a musician or writer) whose style and practice are distinctive
auteurist
ō-ˈtər-ist How to pronounce auteur (audio)
adjective or noun

Examples of auteur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But this just feels like a Spielberg auteur film to me. — Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, 13 June 2026 Stanton, by far the most science-fiction-oriented of Pixar auteurs, has a habit of merging high-tech futurism and grand-scale optimism. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 19 June 2026 Movies, a cinematic experience with great auteurs and international acclaim, were seen as far more prestigious than television, despite the latter's much larger audience. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 June 2026 This year’s Cinema Paradiso lineup reflects the festival’s mix of cinephile nostalgia, contemporary auteurs, live music and Parisian spectacle. — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for auteur

Word History

Etymology

French, originator, author, from Old French autor, from Latin auctor — more at author

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of auteur was in 1962

Phrases Containing auteur

Rhymes for auteur

See All Rhymes for auteur

Browse Nearby Words

Auteuil
auteur
auteurism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Auteur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auteur. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on auteur

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for auteur

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All