commissar

noun

com·​mis·​sar ˈkä-mə-ˌsär 

1

a

: a Communist party official assigned to a military unit to teach party principles and policies and to ensure party loyalty

b

: one that attempts to control public opinion or its expression

2

: the head of a government department in the Soviet Union until 1946

Examples of commissar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Soldiers and political commissars in the army distrust one another, and the ability of wealthy and educated urbanites to buy their way out of compulsory military service has undermined the legitimacy of the armed forces and damaged the military’s public image. —Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

The President wanted Patel to act as his political commissar on the N.S.C., serving as Trump’s eyes and ears, and insuring that staff members remained loyal to the Chief Executive. —Marc Fisher, New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2025

So far Kremlin commissars have threatened to wage war against two nations—Germany and South Africa—to stave off Putin’s detention, and have even provocatively warned that the headquarters of the ICC, in the Dutch city The Hague, could be blasted by Moscow’s missiles. —Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Russian komissar, borrowed from German Kommissar, earlier Commissar "person delegated to perform an office, commissioner" borrowed from Medieval Latin commissārius commissary

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for commissar

• abattoir
• alcazar
• autocar
• avatar
• belshazzar
• caviar
• caviare
• cinnabar
• condylar
• deodar
• handlebar
• isobar

Kids Definition

commissar

noun

com·​mis·​sar ˈkäm-ə-ˌsär 

1

: a Communist party official who enforces loyalty in a military unit

2

: a government department head in the U.S.S.R. until 1946