apparatchik

noun

Definition of apparatchiknext
as in minion
disapproving a very loyal member of an organization (such as a company or political party) who always obeys orders party apparatchiks

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of apparatchik The group ventriloquized the voices of authority—parents, school principals, cops, military officers, judges, politicians, newscasters, Soviet apparatchiks—and turned them into expressions of mass insanity. — Andrew Katzenstein, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026 Regardless, the new corporate owners of the network, embodied by the late, great Robert Duvall‘s C-suite apparatchik, get on board. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2026 This agitprop is vomited out 24/7 by Democrat media apparatchiks who were also unerringly described by Orwell in his novel 1984. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025 Modi began his career as an RSS apparatchik before being sent by the organization to work for the BJP. — Hartosh Singh Bal, Foreign Affairs, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for apparatchik
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apparatchik
  1. minion
  2. soldier
  3. lackey
  4. adherent
Noun
  • There are references to demons, being burned alive, and the duende king explicitly commands his minions to kill Jo and Raissa.
    — Parents, Parents, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Musashi becomes part of a crew that fights the Genma and Yoshitsune’s minions.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of minion
Noun
  • But what chance would American soldiers have against a country whose military doctrine has already imagined active resistance in populated areas, backed by citizens who could potentially provide intelligence, surveillance and other forms of support?
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Not so for Cal, who meets soldier Olivier during the Napoleonic Wars and creates a paradox to keep him from dying on the battlefield… only for Olivier to disappear from the timeline entirely.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of soldier
Noun
  • These are perfunctory roles by definition, so lackeys of one kind or another are often favored.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The sculpture included Teddy mounted on a striding horse with two lackeys walking on either side.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026
Definition of lackey
Noun
  • Since the administration kicked off its anti-AI doomerism social media campaign, taking particular aim at EA and its adherents’ belief that AI carries a high risk of ending humanity—anti-AI sentiment seems to have grown.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • When brutal rationalism is challenged, especially by traditionalists, its defenders will often justify themselves by pointing to the intelligence of its adherents.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of adherent

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appanages
apparatchik
apparatchiks
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Cite this Entry

“Apparatchik.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apparatchik. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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