noun
auteur
Auteur (noun) means a film director, or other artist, whose personal style is so strong that they are treated as the true creator behind their work.
noun
1
A film director, or other artist, whose personal style is so strong that they are treated as the true creator behind their work.
"That all of these screen luminaries apparently just popped to Anderson’s set for a day to film a tiny scene is indicative of where the auteur stands at this point in his 31-year career."
— Alissa Wilkinson, ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ Review: Benicio Del Toro Plans to Save His Soul (2025)
"At the same time, the round-faced, soft-spoken Mr. Wilson — who didn’t surf — became one of pop’s most gifted and idiosyncratic studio auteurs, crafting complex and innovative productions that awed his peers."
— Ben Sisario, Brian Wilson, Songwriter and Leader of the Beach Boys, Dies at 82 (2025)
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like auteur.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Etymology
Borrowed from French auteur (“author”). Popularised by François Truffaut in the 1954 essay “Une certaine tendance du cinéma français” (“A certain tendency in French cinema”) in the influential film journal Cahiers du Cinéma as the phrase “la politique des Auteurs”. Doublet of author.
Rhymes for auteur
See all rhymes for auteur →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of auteur?
"auteur" (noun) means a film director, or other artist, whose personal style is so strong that they are treated as the true creator behind their work.
