What does “official” mean?
- 1
adjectiveapproved by or connected with people in authority
English is one of the official languages of Canada.
- 2
nouna person with an important job in an organization or government
A government official answered questions from reporters.
Official at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective & noun
- CEFR level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Pronunciation
- /əˈfɪʃəl/ · uh-FISH-ul
How to use “official” correctly
Stress is on the second syllable: uh-FISH-ul, unlike “office” (AW-fis).
Common phrases with “official”
- official language
- official figures
- government official
- official website
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- unofficial
Word family
- officially
- office
- unofficial
“official” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- cultural adjectiveB1connected with the customs, beliefs and arts of a group of people
- democratic adjectiveB1based on a system where people choose their government by voting
- economic adjectiveB1connected with trade, industry and money in a country
- legal adjectiveB1allowed by the law
- military adjectiveB1connected with soldiers or the armed forces
- political adjectiveB1connected with government, power and public affairs
- religious adjectiveB1connected with religion
- traditional adjectiveB1following customs or ways that have existed for a long time