auteur

[ oh-tur; French oh-tœr ]

/ oʊˈtɜr; French oʊˈtœr /

noun, plural au·teurs [oh-turz; French oh-tœr] /oʊˈtɜrz; French oʊˈtœr/.

a filmmaker whose individual style and complete control over all elements of production give a film its personal and unique stamp.

Nearby words

Origin of auteur

1960–65; < French: literally, author, originator < Latin auctor. See author

Related formsau·teur·ism, nounau·teur·ist, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for auteur

They seemed very much like auteur works—but the auteur works of a writer, not the auteur works of a director.
Inside the Obsessive, Strange Mind of True Detective’s Nic Pizzolatto|Andrew Romano|February 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But apparently the studio is aware of a possibility that its auteur prefers to ignore.
Hollywood Declares 2014 the Year of the Bible|Andrew Romano|January 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Every film by Sofia Coppola, the Oscar-winning auteur behind Lost in Translation with the choice genes, is an event.
Sofia Coppola on ‘The Bling Ring,’ Celebrity Culture, Kanye West, More|Marlow Stern|June 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
(German auteur Tom Tykwer co-wrote and directed Cloud Atlas with the Wachowskis).
Best of Toronto Film Festival: ‘Cloud Atlas,’ ‘Argo,’ Ryan Gosling & More|Chris Lee|September 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST

You can see an animated depiction of them debating the auteur theory.
The Only Critic That Mattered|Allen Barra|November 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for auteur

auteur

/ (ɔːˈtɜː) /

noun

a director whose creative influence on a film is so great as to be considered its author

Derived Formsauteurism, nounauteurist, adjective

Word Origin for auteur

French: author

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for auteur

auteur

1962, from French, literally "author" (see author (n.)).