Authority and Source

Similar meaning words

Authority noun - Something mentioned in a text as providing related and especially supporting information.

Usage example: the Bible is the sole authority for his impassioned defense of creationism

Show all Definitions

Source is a synonym for authority. In some cases you can use "Source" instead a noun "Authority".

Source noun - Something mentioned in a text as providing related and especially supporting information.

Usage example: the professor asked the students to have at least five different sources for their papers

Show all Definitions

Authority is a synonym for source in person topic. You can use "Authority" instead a noun "Source", if it concerns topics such as reference, beginning, informant.

good	good authority	good source
true	true authority	true source
legitimate	legitimate authority	legitimate source
single	single authority	single source
Other adjectives: strong, powerful, actual, real, unlimited, great, ultimate, new, major, sole, outside, official, primary, greatest.

And it was not the Emperor's job to be the greatest fighter, but instead to be the wise ruler and source of all honor and authority.

Source: Authority Equals Asskicking / Tabletop Games
In addition to producing authority figures and badasses, the Church is always a source of education, chiefly through One Gender Schools under its auspices.

Source: Analysis / The Church
This is consistent with the idea of the Divine Right of monarchs, where the king or queen is seen as the source of all law and political authority in his or her domain.

Source: I Am the Noun

Cite this Source

Source and Authority. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 20, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/authority/source

Authority & Source. N.p., 2016. Web. 20 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/authority/source>.

Source or Authority. 2016. Accessed July 20, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/authority/source.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "authority" and "source" have occurred on timeline