Authority
Authority noun - The power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly.
Usage example: speaks with a persuasive authority on matters of public health
Influence is a synonym for authority in power topic. In some cases you can use "Influence" instead a noun "Authority", when it comes to topics like characteristic, command, prerogative. popular alternative
Influence
Influence noun - The power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly.
Usage example: a mayor who doesn't hesitate to use her influence to get business leaders behind civic improvements
Authority is a synonym for influence in power topic. You can use "Authority" instead a noun "Influence", if it concerns topics such as control, characteristic, command. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
How words are described
| human | human authority | human influence |
| good | good authority | good influence |
| high | high authority | high influence |
| direct | direct authority | direct influence |
| Other adjectives: considerable, strong, powerful, actual, real, great, evil, little, personal, supernatural, new, major, political, outside, less, primary, greatest. | ||
Both words in one sentence
- In most cases, Maximilien Robespierre is depicted as a proto-Lenin and proto-Stalin when Robespierre never had anything near that level of influence and authority in actual policymaking.
Source: Dated History -
Although the orks are the larger and more powerful folks and typically wield more authority and influence, the Big Boss is currently a goblin.
Source: Our Goblins Are Different - However, it is known that the mound culture did spread throughout much of central and eastern North America, and it is suspected to have developed to the point where one mound city was capable of exerting political influence or authority nearby cities.
Cite this Source
Influence and Authority. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/authority/influence
Authority & Influence. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/authority/influence>.
Influence or Authority. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/authority/influence.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "authority" and "influence" have occurred on timeline