parliamentarian

noun

par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈter-ē-ən 

-mən-,

 also  ˌpärl-yə-

1

often capitalized : an adherent of the parliament in opposition to the king during the English Civil War

2

: an expert in the rules and usages of a deliberative assembly (such as a parliament)

3

: a member of a parliament

Examples of parliamentarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Murkowski finally agreed to vote for the bill following hours of internal negotiations and deliberations with the Senate parliamentarian. —Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 2 July 2025

Several of the changes that House Republicans obscured — and lamented, at turns — on Wednesday came thanks to the Senate’s nonpartisan parliamentarian, a referee who has similarly trimmed Democratic ambitions in the past. —David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 July 2025

While the House bill freezes provider taxes, the Senate wanted to lower them, but the timeline for doing so was delayed a year by the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough. —Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

Lee attempted to revise his measure after it was axed by the Senate parliamentarian, but continued to receive criticism from fellow lawmakers and conservative groups that sought to see the provision removed entirely. —Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 1 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

parliament + -arian

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for parliamentarian

• authoritarian
• communitarian
• disciplinarian
• egalitarian
• equalitarian
• humanitarian
• majoritarian
• octogenarian
• radiolarian
• totalitarian
• utilitarian
• agrarian

Kids Definition

parliamentarian

noun

par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈter-ē-ən 

-mən-,

 also  ˌpärl-yə-

: an expert in parliamentary procedure

Legal Definition

parliamentarian

noun

par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈtar-ē-ən, ˌpärl-yə-, -mən- 

1

: an expert in the rules and usages of a parliament or other deliberative assembly

specifically, often capitalized : an officer of a legislative body acting as adviser on matters of procedure

Note: The parliamentarian of the U.S. House of Representatives is appointed by the Speaker of the House. The Secretary of the Senate appoints the Senate's parliamentarian with approval of the majority leader.

2

: a member of a parliament