1
as in official
a person who holds a public office
spoke to high-ranking functionaries at the embassy in the hopes that they could help
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2
as in bureaucrat
a worker in a government agency
the faceless functionaries at the Internal Revenue Service
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of functionary
Elections boards were put under a GOP functionary who promptly rigged the state board that had confirmed Riggs’ victory.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025
There is a vast tide of Imperial functionaries, from soldiers to bureaucrats to technicians, all conforming to survive the predations of the Emperor’s whims.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2025
Unlike the party functionaries picked previously, all three grew up in the labor movement.
—John Samuelsen, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
The hosts were Peter Yates, a functionary at the California Department of Employment, and his wife, the pianist Frances Mullen.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2025
There is a vast tide of Imperial functionaries, from soldiers to bureaucrats to technicians, all conforming to survive the predations of the Emperor’s whims.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2025
Unlike the party functionaries picked previously, all three grew up in the labor movement.
—John Samuelsen, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
The hosts were Peter Yates, a functionary at the California Department of Employment, and his wife, the pianist Frances Mullen.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionary
Noun
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Israel's assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed over 64,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials, while internally displacing almost all Gaza's population, and set off a starvation crisis.—
Jarrett Renshaw,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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Polish officials said Russian drones pierced their airspace 19 times from late Tuesday night to Wednesday morning.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Besides Japanese bureaucrats and businessmen, the local Taiwanese elite flocked to photo studios as well.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
13 Sep. 2025
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But what other, more-restrictive standard could Treasury use that doesn’t risk running afoul of the statutory guidance based on a bureaucrat’s subjective judgment?—
Ben Ritz,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Dean, a high-ranking Black officer at the fire department with nearly four decades of experience, in June threatened to sue the city if he was not allowed to compete for the department’s top job.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
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To stop the protestors, security officers started with water cannons, and then resorted to tear gas, according to local media.—
Rajeev Tyagi,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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His teenage son, John Wesley, worked as a clerk who tuned stringed instruments.—
Sarah Biegelsen,
Kansas City Star,
14 Sep. 2025
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The application goes to the city clerk and then gets sent to The Citizen Advisory Committee on the Naming of Streets.—
Sophia Tiedge,
jsonline.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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After my long flight home, I was relieved that the late-night visitor turned out to be nothing more than city workers on the job (and their job in this case, while surprising, didn't turn out to be too destructive).—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Sep. 2025
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After California’s deal with Uber and Lyft, other states have moved forward with similar attempts to allow workers to unionize.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Al Jazeera employees even reportedly work with the terrorist group to identify protesters.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP What To Know The Secret Service has launched an internal review into the screening failure on August 31, and the employee responsible for searching the guest's bag has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of that review, the agency said.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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