Noun
someone who is regarded as an authority by someone else
Source: WordNetA father has to be a provider, a teacher, a role model, but most importantly, a distant authority figure who can never be pleased. Otherwise, how will children ever understand the concept of God? Stephen Colbert
At home in Ireland, there's a habit of avoidance, an ironical attitude towards the authority figure. Seamus Heaney
Oprah is a wealthy person, pack leader of the human world. So many see her as the dominant one, as the authority figure. The way I view her energy, seeing her on TV, is a very calm, quiet energy. You need, in order to gain control, higher energy than your dog. Cesar Millan
They sent me the script, asking me to play the part of a general. I have never played the part of an authority figure. I've never thought of myself that way. I was uncomfortable with it, but I worked at it and knew I had a guttural voice for a general. Mark Goddard