Authority
Authority noun - The right or means to command or control others.
Usage example: by the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you married
Control is a synonym for authority in power topic. In some cases you can use "Control" instead a noun "Authority", when it comes to topics like command, direction, advantage, influence. popular alternative
Control
Control noun - The ability to direct the course of something.
Usage example: firefighters keeping control of the blaze
Authority is a synonym for control in power topic. You can use "Authority" instead a noun "Control", if it concerns topics such as command, direction, advantage, mastery. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
How words are described
| human | human authority | human control |
| good | good authority | good control |
| full | full authority | full control |
| direct | direct authority | direct control |
| Other adjectives: complete, total, powerful, actual, real, great, little, absolute, strict, personal, ultimate, new, sole, political, less, limited, military, imperial, central, local. | ||
Both words in one sentence
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Expect them to be able to speak to the spirits of the dead, as well as have some authority or control over them.
Source: Soul Power - May show some level of control or authority over the protagonists as the keeper of their favorite watering hole.
Source: Service Sector Stereotypes -
Someone exercising authority or control over them, being dependent on other people, and having to compete with other people can serve as catalysts or amplifiers to the above mentioned behavior.
Source: Hollywood Personality Disorders
Cite this Source
Control and Authority. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/authority/control
Authority & Control. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/authority/control>.
Control or Authority. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/authority/control.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "authority" and "control" have occurred on timeline