anti-authority

adjective

an·​ti-au·​thor·​i·​ty ˌan-tē-ə-ˈthär-ə-tē How to pronounce anti-authority (audio)
-ȯ-,
-ˈthȯr-,
ˌan-ˌtī-
: opposed to or hostile toward authority : antiauthoritarian
The notion of educators being in loco parentis did not survive the anti-authority upheavals of the 1960s.Jon Kyl

Examples of anti-authority in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Instead, Durov has spent years cultivating Telegram’s image as a proudly anti-authority platform. Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2024 By the late ’60s, aided by a free-love, anti-authority mentality, folks began hacking the legs off their jeans to create shorts. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 4 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anti-authority was in 1877

Dictionary Entries Near anti-authority

Cite this Entry

“Anti-authority.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-authority. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!