semiofficial

American  

[sem-ee-uh-fish-uhl, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm i əˈfɪʃ əl, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

adjective

1. having some degree of official authority.

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Other Word Forms

• semiofficially adverb

Etymology

Origin of semiofficial

First recorded in 1800–10; semi- + official

Example Sentences

However, the strait was then reclosed to oil tankers as of Wednesday evening local time, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Iran’s semiofficial Fars News Agency.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

When it folded, a report in the semiofficial Tasnim news agency, citing a top central bank official, said that more than 90% of the bank’s resources were tied up in projects under its own management.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

Video broadcast by the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency depicted burning buildings and scenes of destruction that were said to have been perpetrated by “terrorists.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

The semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported the sound of blasts, without giving a cause.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2024

That tolerance became semiofficial policy in 2000, when North Korea promised leniency to those who had fled the country in search of food.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden