secretary-general

noun

sec·​re·​tary-gen·​er·​al ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē-ˈjen-rəl How to pronounce secretary-general (audio)
-ˈje-nə-rəl
plural secretaries-general
: a principal administrative officer
secretary-general of the United Nations

Examples of secretary-general in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
According to Prof Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Assembly, only Sakaguchi could be reached at the time of the announcement. Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025 In July, a delegation of 20 Syrian officials including the foreign and defense ministers, the intelligence chief, and Maher al-Shara, who serves as secretary-general of the presidency, visited Russia. Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 3 Oct. 2025 The Israeli army took out the entire leadership of the organization, including Hassan Nasrallah, its secretary-general, along with several thousand fighters and tens of thousands of rockets aimed at the heartland. Michael M. Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 26 Sep. 2025 An advocate for the rights of women and girls, Trenou served as secretary-general of the Togolese women’s union during the 1960s. Time, 22 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for secretary-general

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of secretary-general was in 1701

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Secretary-general.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secretary-general. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

secretary-general

noun
plural secretaries-general
: a principal officer of administration
secretary-general of the United Nations
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!