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

Senate Republicans made some last-minute changes to the bill after several provisions impacting current student loan borrowers were struck down by the parliamentarian. —Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

The parliamentarian approved the Senate’s effort to stop states from regulating AI, but it could get stripped out on the floor with all 47 Democrats and just four Republican defections. —Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 27 June 2025

Overnight Wednesday the parliamentarian advised against GOP student loan repayment plans, and Thursday the parliamentarian cited those that would have blocked access to Medicaid and other health care programs from immigrants who are not citizens. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 June 2025

In addition to Medicaid provider taxes, the Senate parliamentarian also rejected proposals to make certain immigrants who are not citizens ineligible for Medicaid coverage. —Lorie Konish, CNBC, 27 June 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