authorized
AmericanOther Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of authorized
Explanation
Something that's authorized is officially approved. If the principal of your school has given you the go-ahead to throw a Hawaiian-themed party, you can call it an authorized luau. The adjective authorized comes from the verb authorize, which means "give formal approval or sanction to." Both words go back to the Latin root auctor, "authority." So when an authority grants her approval or permission to do something, it becomes authorized. You'll need an authorized passport if you want to travel to a foreign country.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Authorized repayment programs don’t use high-pressure tactics, experts say.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
During the two and a half years Pearlman spent working on “Only God Can Judge Me,” the rapper’s estate released yet another posthumous book, 2024’s “Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2025
Authorized by federal statute, these investigations take place when there is “reasonable cause to believe” that a government agency consistently commits civil rights violations.
From Slate • Feb. 26, 2024
Authorized immigration to the U.K. set a record in 2022 with nearly 750,000.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 16, 2023
I keep my head down as Agent Magnus leads me through the bright lobby to a small hallway marked Authorized Personnel Only.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
