authorized

Authorized is an adjective meaning having official permission or approval to act, or being legally empowered or recognized by an authority. It indicates that authority has been granted to perform duties, access resources, or sign documents. The noun form is authorization, and the verb form is authorize. In British English, the past participle is often spelled authorised, while American English uses authorized. Both spellings refer to the same concept.

In law and governance, an authorized person can act on behalf of another party, such as an authorized representative or authorized signatory. Documents bearing an authorized signature are typically legally valid; access to restricted areas or systems may be limited to authorized personnel. Authorization processes may involve identity verification, credential checks, or policy compliance.

Common usages include authorized personnel, authorized capital or authorized share capital, authorized use, authorized vendor, and authorized signature. In computing and information security, an authorization layer determines which resources a user may access, often implemented through access control lists and permissions.

Related terms include authorization (the noun), authorize or authorise (the verb), and unauthorized (lacking permission). The concept underpins regulatory compliance, contract law, and organizational governance.