Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

official

[uh-fish-uh l]
See more synonyms for official on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person appointed or elected to an office or charged with certain duties.
Show More
adjective
  1. of or relating to an office or position of duty, trust, or authority: official powers.
  2. authorized or issued authoritatively: an official report.
  3. holding office.
  4. appointed or authorized to act in a designated capacity: an official representative.
  5. (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.
  6. 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.
Show More

Origin of official

1300–50; Middle English < Late Latin officiālis of duty, equivalent to Latin offici(um) office + -ālis -al1
Related formsof·fi·cial·ly, adverbnon·of·fi·cial, adjectivenon·of·fi·cial·ly, adverbpre·of·fi·cial, adjectivepre·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 confusedofficial officious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

regularlyproperlycorrectlyformallycustomarilyorderlypreciselysuitablybefittinglyceremoniouslyconventionallyfittinglyauthoritatively

Examples from the Web for officially

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • This was the rival whose place I had virtually, though not officially, usurped.

    It Happened in Egypt

    C. N. Williamson

  • The Battalion bombers on Gallipoli were officially known as Grenadiers.

  • Vagualame, agent of the Second Bureau, and officially a counter-spy.

    A Nest of Spies

    Pierre Souvestre

  • This information was given to me not emotionally but as it were officially.

    The Arrow of Gold

    Joseph Conrad

  • The gods are sought not only officially by the state or for state ends, but by the individual.

    History of Religion

    Allan Menzies

British Dictionary definitions for officially

officially

adverb
  1. in a formal or authoritative mannerthe Queen officially opened the dome
  2. in a way that is formally acknowledged but is not necessarily the caseofficially on the dole but actually holding a job
Show More

official

adjective
  1. of or relating to an office, its administration, or its duration
  2. sanctioned by, recognized by, or derived from authorityan official statement
  3. appointed by authority, esp for some special duty
  4. having a formal ceremonial characteran official dinner
Show More
noun
  1. a person who holds a position in an organization, government department, etc, esp a subordinate position
Show More

Official

adjective
  1. 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)
Show More
noun
  1. a member of the Official IRA and Sinn Féin
Show More
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

Word Origin and History for officially

official

n.

early 14c., from Old French oficial "law officer; bishop's representative" (12c.) and directly from Late Latin officialis "attendant to a magistrate, public official," noun use of officialis (adj.) "of or belonging to duty, service, or office" (see official (adj.)). Meaning "person in charge of some public work or duty" first recorded 1550s.

Show More

official

adj.

late 14c., "performing a service; required by duty," from Old French oficial "official; main, principal" (14c., Modern French officiel) or directly from Late Latin officialis "of or belonging to duty, service, or office," from Latin officium (see office). Meaning "pertaining to an office or official position" is from c.1600.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
officially in Medicine

official

(ə-fĭsh′əl)
adj.
  1. Authorized by or contained in the US Pharmacopoeia or National Formulary. Used of drugs.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.