as in officials
a worker in a government agency
took the examination to become a civil servant in the defense department
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of civil servants
All told, the agency lost more than 17,000 civil servants through firings and resignations in 2025—including many scientific leaders at the FDA, CDC and NIH.
—
Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Gezi gave way to crackdowns and an administrative witch hunt that saw thousands of academics, judges, journalists, lawyers, and civil servants jailed.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
What began with the unconstitutional targeting of law firms, universities, and non-partisan civil servants has advanced to ICE’s shocking and deadly street-level assaults.
—Chris Mattei, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026
For civil servants, who have been unfairly vilified, erratically fired and criminally prosecuted.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
In France, civil servants will ditch Zoom and Teams for a homegrown video conference system.
—Kelvin Chan, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Trump has repeatedly violated laws — for example, by firing hundreds of thousands of civil servants against their statutory protections and abolishing agencies created by Congress.
—Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
About 77,000 of the purged civil servants have been formally arrested.
—Kaya Genç, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026
And one analysis found that programs that were run by career civil servants tended to perform better than programs that were run by political appointees, all else being equal.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Gezi gave way to crackdowns and an administrative witch hunt that saw thousands of academics, judges, journalists, lawyers, and civil servants jailed.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
What began with the unconstitutional targeting of law firms, universities, and non-partisan civil servants has advanced to ICE’s shocking and deadly street-level assaults.
—Chris Mattei, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026
For civil servants, who have been unfairly vilified, erratically fired and criminally prosecuted.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
In France, civil servants will ditch Zoom and Teams for a homegrown video conference system.
—Kelvin Chan, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Trump has repeatedly violated laws — for example, by firing hundreds of thousands of civil servants against their statutory protections and abolishing agencies created by Congress.
—Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
About 77,000 of the purged civil servants have been formally arrested.
—Kaya Genç, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026
And one analysis found that programs that were run by career civil servants tended to perform better than programs that were run by political appointees, all else being equal.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil servants
Noun
-
Former Vice President Kamala Harris did not attend the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing because the Biden administration did not send any diplomatic officials as a boycott over human rights concerns.—
MICHELLE L. PRICE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
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As a politicized national fight over waste, fraud and abuse led by Republicans have targeted California and its Democratic leadership, Bonta and other state officials have moved swiftly to combat the claims.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Evans recently attended a protest outside the nation's Supreme Court, where public servants — including teachers and nurses — demanded wage increases after three years without a pay raise.—
Manuel Rueda,
NPR,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Teachers, nurses, engineers, construction workers, hospitality staff, and public servants flow south and west into Orange and Seminole counties.—
Christopher Bellingham,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
All other government employees are temporarily furloughed.—
Riley Beggin,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
To copy their methods and turn them back into employees.—
Paul Fischer,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
When Vance attended the annual Munich Security Conference as a first-term senator, in 2024, he got fed up with the European Union bureaucrats and took off early to reconnect with Dreher, who had come from Budapest, over beer and sausages.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
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That’s assuming state bureaucrats can even figure out the billionaires’ worth.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The workers seek health insurance, fairer wages and protection of their online content — rights that could set a precedent for the industry.—
Jessica Hill,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Texas should invest in workforce readiness so workers can adapt and compete without stifling innovation with premature regulation.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
My main focus is more transparency and freedom of information from the clerks office.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Courts work collaboratively with clerks, legal aid organizations, and bar associations to expand educational materials, improve accessibility, and help people navigate the system effectively.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Civil servants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20servants. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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