nounnounadjective
el oficial
official · officer
Persona o cosa que tiene autoridad reconocida por una institución o el gobierno.
Definition & meaning
- Official: authorized, recognized, or issued by an authority. It can also mean relating to a government or public institution.
- Officer: a person holding a position of authority, especially in the armed forces or police.
- Skilled worker or craftsperson: a trained worker in a trade, often with a rank between apprentice and master.
Grammar & Word origin
- As an adjective, oficial has the same form for masculine and feminine nouns. Its plural is oficiales .
- As a noun, it can refer to a person of either gender: el oficial or la oficial .
- It comes from Latin officialis, related to officium, meaning “duty,” “service,” or “office.”
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonyms: autorizado means “authorized,” emphasizing permission; formal can mean “formal,” emphasizing established procedure rather than official authority. For a skilled worker, artesano means “craftsperson” and does not necessarily indicate rank.
- Antonyms: extraoficial means “unofficial” or “not formally confirmed.” No oficial means “not official.”
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
Este es el informe oficial del gobierno.adjective
This is the official government report.
El oficial nos ayudó en el aeropuerto.noun
The officer helped us at the airport.
El oficial revisó los documentos de viaje.noun
The officer checked the travel documents.
El oficial revisó los documentos.noun
The officer checked the documents.
El oficial está descansando.noun
The officer is resting.
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