undersecretary

noun

un·​der·​sec·​re·​tary ˌən-dər-ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē 

-ˈse-kə-

variants or under secretary

: a secretary immediately subordinate to a principal secretary

—often capitalized when used as a title

the British Undersecretary for India

the Under Secretary of the Treasury

Examples of undersecretary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The bill would establish an Office of the Garment Industry within the Labor Department, led by a new undersecretary. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026

Elaine McCusker, former acting undersecretary of defense, is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where Brady Africk is a research analyst. — Elaine McCusker, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026

Lindy Cameron is the new permanent undersecretary, replacing an official who was fired over the Peter Mandelson scandal. — Rebecca Blumenstein, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026

And Erin Browne, treasury undersecretary for international affairs, said Monday the delegation was invited because Russia is a member of the G20. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1687, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for undersecretary

• beneficiary
• bronchopulmonary
• evolutionary
• expeditionary
• extramedullary
• extraordinary
• extrapulmonary
• genitourinary
• geostationary
• hepatobiliary
• illocutionary
• insurrectionary

Kids Definition

undersecretary

noun

un·​der·​sec·​re·​tary ˌən-dər-ˈsek-rə-ˌter-ē 

: a secretary right under a principal secretary

undersecretary of state