auteur

noun

au·​teur ō-ˈtu̇r How to pronounce auteur (audio)
-ˈtər
1
: a film director whose practice accords with the auteur theory
broadly : director sense c
2
: an artist (such as a musician or writer) whose style and practice are distinctive
auteurist adjective or noun

Examples of auteur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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There’s a choice selection of august auteurs and discoveries in competition, plus most of Spain’s finest films of 2025, fresh winds blowing from a New Directors sidebar. John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025 From vengeful resurrections to satanic rituals, shoplifters waging war on capitalism to secret cults, shadow selves to harrowing births, these genre-defying films crown the Dolls as auteurs, protagonists, dreamers, and disruptors. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025 And scores of the world’s top auteurs came to compete with strong new titles — many of them instant Oscar contenders the moment the customary standing ovations wound down each night inside Venice’s Sala Grande cinema. Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025 The Greek auteur has worked with better scripts in the past, but in terms of its commanding performances, design, sharply precise cinematography, gleefully cruel humor, and bizarro ending, this madcap thriller can’t help but hit the spot for existing devotees. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for auteur

Word History

Etymology

French, originator, author, from Old French autor, from Latin auctor — more at author

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of auteur was in 1962

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Cite this Entry

“Auteur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auteur. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

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