authorial

American  

[aw-thawr-ee-uhl] / ɔˈθɔr i əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to an author or to authors in general.

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Explanation

Use the adjective authorial for things that relate to the person who wrote a book, screenplay, or article. You give up your authorial control when you hand your short story over to an editor. If you pen a novel, you may choose to give your authorial voice to a narrator, allowing them the power to reveal all the background information you want your readers to know. And your ultimate goal, the message you hope to convey in your book, can be described as authorial intent. Authorial is from author and its Latin root, auctor, "trustworthy writer."

Example Sentences

Her inner work has been a wise investment, leading Febos to feel more freedom in her authorial vision, perhaps even moving toward fiction.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2025

The museum, in Turin, said it gave the prize in recognition of Spacey's "personal aesthetic and authorial contribution to the development of the art of drama".

From BBC • Jul. 26, 2023

But, per the terms of my contract, all authorial data was encrypted and partitioned to prevent overlap between writers and publishing houses.

From Slate • Jun. 24, 2023

Kimberly is the kind of oddball role that is Lindsay-Abaire’s authorial métier.

From New York Times • May 10, 2023

This idea long precedes the legal claim to authorial copyright, which did not exist in British law until 1710, and was established later elsewhere.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton