official

[ uh-fish-uh l ]

/ əˈfɪʃ əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR official ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person appointed or elected to an office or charged with certain duties.

adjective

of or relating to an office or position of duty, trust, or authority: official powers.

authorized or issued authoritatively: an official report.

holding office.

appointed or authorized to act in a designated capacity: an official representative.

(of an activity or event) intended for the notice of the public and performed or held on behalf of officials or of an organization; formal: the official opening of a store.

Pharmacology. noting drugs or drug preparations that are recognized by and that conform to the standards of the United States Pharmacopeia or the National Formulary.

Nearby words

officer of arms, officer of the day, officer of the deck, officer of the guard, officer of the watch, official, official family, official formula, official receiver, official referee, official solicitor

Origin of official

1300–50; Middle English < Late Latin officiālis of duty, equivalent to Latin offici(um) office + -ālis -al¹

Related forms

of·fi·cial·ly, adverbnon·of·fi·cial, adjectivenon·of·fi·cial·ly, adverbpre·of·fi·cial, adjective

pre·of·fi·cial·ly, adverbpseu·do·of·fi·cial, adjective, nounpseu·do·of·fi·cial·ly, adverbqua·si-of·fi·cial, adjectivequa·si-of·fi·cial·ly, adverbsub·of·fi·cial, noun, adjectivesub·of·fi·cial·ly, adverbun·der·of·fi·cial, adjectiveun·of·fi·cial, adjectiveun·of·fi·cial·ly, adverb

Can be confused

official officious

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

Examples from the Web for officially

Lee and Coogan did briefly meet with the pope, with pictures to prove it, but no one at the Vatican officially screened the film.
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After a successful summer working alongside R, he officially offered her the reigns of La Domaine.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau|Ian Frisch|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kulash moved out to Chicago to be with them and OK Go was officially born.
OK Go Is Helping Redefine the Music Video For the Internet Age|Lauren Schwartzberg|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sony is set to officially blame Pyongyang as early as Wednesday.
Sony Blames North Korea for Hacking, but Washington Left Them Completely Vulnerable|Gordon G. Chang|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It is likely that Baghdadi has officially gained the allegiance of a number of fighters.
Murder Vids Help ISIS Lure More Monsters|Thomas Joscelyn|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cronje's surrender had been officially announced to us on the previous day, and I inquired whether he had heard of it.
London to Ladysmith via Pretoria|Winston Spencer Churchill
In this instance they write to me officially as Daisy's guardian.
A Coin of Edward VII|Fergus Hume
Had Washington hidden the letters showing on their face that he had "officially interposed" for Paine by two Ministers?
The Writings Of Thomas Paine, Volume III.|Thomas Paine
The government's officially denied that any such incident took place.
The Invaders|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
M. Mounier has been officially sent to London to try and secure some concession.
Memoirs of the Duchesse de Dino v.2/3, 1836-1840|Duchesse De Dino

British Dictionary definitions for officially (1 of 3)

officially

/ (əˈfɪʃəlɪ) /

adverb

in a formal or authoritative mannerthe Queen officially opened the dome

in a way that is formally acknowledged but is not necessarily the caseofficially on the dole but actually holding a job

British Dictionary definitions for officially (2 of 3)

official

/ (əˈfɪʃəl) /

adjective

of or relating to an office, its administration, or its duration

sanctioned by, recognized by, or derived from authorityan official statement

appointed by authority, esp for some special duty

having a formal ceremonial characteran official dinner

noun

a person who holds a position in an organization, government department, etc, esp a subordinate position

British Dictionary definitions for officially (3 of 3)

Official

/ (əˈfɪʃəl) /

adjective

of or relating to one of the two factions of the IRA and Sinn Féin, created by a split in 1969. The Official movement subsequently renounced terrorism and entered constitutional politics in the Irish Republic as the Workers' Party (now the Democratic Left)

noun

a member of the Official IRA and Sinn Féin

Compare Provisional

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

Medicine definitions for officially

official

[ ə-fĭsh′əl ]

adj.

Authorized by or contained in the US Pharmacopoeia or National Formulary. Used of drugs.