Definition of "official" []

• Of or relating to an office or a post of authority: official duties. (adjective)
• Authorized by a proper authority; authoritative: official permission. (adjective)
• Holding office or serving in a public capacity: an official representative. (adjective)
• Characteristic of or befitting a person of authority; formal: an official banquet. (adjective)
• Authorized by or contained in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia or National Formulary. Used of drugs. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I think this has to do with the *official* position that a country takes vs. what individual people do and believe, often in violation of the official policies and laws."
• "Each year, The Good Life expo honors a particular individual with the title official ambassador."
• "During his speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night, President Barack Obama debuted what he described as his "official birth video" to his audience."