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Aleilei Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary

Difference between 'officer' and 'official'

Hello,

Could anyone tell me what's the difference between 'officer' and 'official'? Are they interchangeable?

Thanks in advance~Emotion: smile
  

Top answer

One is a noun, one is an adjective, and there is no overlap between them. A police officer. A naval officer.

— BarbaraPA

  • One is a noun, one is an adjective, and there is no overlap between them.
  • A police officer.
  • A naval officer.
  • An officer of the court.
  • Can you suggest a sentence in which you could possibly confuse one for the other?
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10 Answers
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One is a noun, one is an adjective, and there is no overlap between them.
A police officer. A naval officer. An officer of the court.

Can you suggest a sentence in which you could possibly confuse one for the other?
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Hi,
My dictionary also offers 'official' as a noun: a person holdng office or engaged in official duties.
eg Officials at the Ministry of Silly Walks refused to comment.

An officer, as in the examples quoted above by GG, tends to be someone who has a legal duty or responsibility, sometimes requiring the taking of an oath. We do spea
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You're totally right, Clive. Of course an official can be a noun. For some reason, my brain got stuck on the adjective version.
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CliveMy dictionary also offers 'official' as a noun: a person holdng office or engaged in official duties.
eg Officials at the Ministry of Silly Walks refused to comment.

Thanks, Clive. I'm still a bit confused here. Eg, can I use 'police official', 'naval official', or 'Officers at the Ministry of Silly Walks '? Is there any general rule for me to ch
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Hi,

None of those examples sound correct, for the reasons I already explained.

Clive
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A. An officer
1- a person who is in a position of authority in the armed forces: army / air- force / naval officers
2- a person who is in a position of authority in the government or a large organization
3- (used as a form of address) = POLICEOFFICER
4- a title for a police officer
B. An official
1. Noun (often in co
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Dear TamV

Thank you for your explanation. It is clear for me now!

Best
Fiona
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A police officer. A naval officer. An officer of the court.
1. An Police Official said that............,
2 The Naval Official on board HMAS ??? said..............and
3. Al Court Officials will wear identity upon their person at all times.
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Officer can be interchangeable with official if you are referring to positions of authority in a large organization, such as a corporations. A company's executives, for example, can be known as the Officers of the company, or it's officials. Both have the definition of being associated with positions of authority in such organizations.

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The word 'officer' according to Word Panda dictionary means a person who holds a position of rank or authority in the army, navy, air force, or any similar organization, especially one who holds a commission. And word 'official' means a person appointed or elected to an office or charged with certain duties. It's not

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