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.
County Correctional Health Services staff members with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026
It’s never too early: Parents with good credit can even add their newborn babies as authorized users on their credit cards to help them build a credit history.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
To address those problems, it separated the model, or reasoning layer, from the action layer that interacts with tools, and that required managing which tools the model was authorized to use.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
The immediate consequences of expiration remain uncertain, however, because surveillance operations under Section 702 are authorized through annual certifications approved by the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
Suggestions for a new constitution were to come from the people themselves, and ANC leaders all across the country were authorized to seek ideas in writing from everyone in their area.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
