civil servant

noun

1

: a member of a civil service

2

: a member of the administrative staff of an international agency

Synonyms of civil servant

• public servant
• clerk
• official
• employee
• worker
• bureaucrat

Examples of civil servant in a Sentence

took the examination to become a civil servant in the defense department

Recent Examples on the Web

His father, a welder, left school after sixth grade; his mother, a civil servant, didn’t finish high school. — Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Other governments, including the US, have their own rules and disclosure requirements, but beyond the breadth of the controls in China, the sheer number of people affected is striking – and reaches far beyond civil servants. — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026

According to the Partnership for Public Service, more than 200,000 civil servants left the federal workforce in 2025 through voluntary and involuntary separations aimed at reducing head count. — Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026

Burnham plans to work there at least one day a week, alongside a full-time staff of aides, experts and civil servants. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1767, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for civil servant

• fervent
• maidservant
• manservant
• observant