auteur
Americannoun
-
auteurs
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of auteur
1960–65; < French: literally, author, originator < Latin auctor. See author
Explanation
If you're an auteur, you make movies that show off your personal style and vision, and you make those movies exactly the way you want: you won’t let any studio executives force you to change the ending. The word auteur came into English from the French word of the same name, meaning literally “author.” If you’re an auteur, you are truly the author of your own movie. Most movies have a lot of different people contributing to the final product, but an auteur insists on having the final say, and hates it when her vision is compromised. The word even has an uppity feel and sound to it. Pronounce it "oh-TUR."
Vocabulary lists containing auteur
English Words Derived from French, List 9
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Ten Words from The New York Times - June 26, 2013
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Imposter Syndrome & Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim
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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.
See Examples For:
France's Culture Minister Catherine Pegard paid tribute to Altmayer as a "producer with a keen eye, capable of bringing together popular comedy and auteur ambition with the same accuracy".
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
With “Her Private Hell,” Thatcher has found an auteur who matches her refreshing self-assurance.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
“Oak Street” is Mitchell’s first film in eight years after a strong start as an auteur.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Any movie lover with half a mind knows that the auteur theory is bunk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
“My dad said I should film on my own because that’s what auteur directors’ do, but I don’t really want to.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
Meanwhile major auteurs of a previous generation scored commercial comebacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Too much of the program is made up of tedious movies by beloved Cannes veterans — essentially affirmative action for auteurs.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Its director Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the greatest auteurs of contemporary US cinema, but has never won any of his 11 previous nominations for films including "There Will Be Blood" and "Boogie Nights."
From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026
From Ritwik Ghatak to Satyajit Ray to Mrinal Sen, Bengal has produced many globally celebrated auteurs.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025
The French ecclesiastical historian Louis Elias Dupin, born in 1657 and descended from a noble family in Normandy, was the author of the illustrious work La Bibliothèque Universelle des auteurs ecclésiastiques.
From Books Fatal to Their Authors by P. H. (Peter Hampson) Ditchfield
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.
