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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Recent Examples of civil servants
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
Advertisement Even if its opponents see through the junta’s election, with some ethnic armed organizations denouncing the election, the vote could provide reassurance to its own ranks, civil servants, and supporters and shore up morale and discipline within the armed forces.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
Onstage, Gemmill made sure to thank all the first responders and civil servants.
—Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Without explicit training, civil servants risk assuming that a system that writes like an expert also counts like one.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Jan. 2026
And to mirror that successful PC Home Reform policy from the 90s, the Prime Minister this year supported a Swedish AI Reform scheme that makes agentic AI free for all civil servants, students, teachers, research institutions, and non-profits.
—Oscar Täckström, Fortune, 3 Jan. 2026
A lot of long-time career civil servants who were good at delivering products for the American citizens.
—CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Across the country, tens of thousands of civil servants are rushing to input voter details into a database, by hand.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
By the start of December 2025, over 200,000 civil servants had left the federal workforce, including nearly 5,000 from NASA, 600 from NSF and at least 14,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services, the parent department of NIH.
—Kenneth M. Evans, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
Advertisement Even if its opponents see through the junta’s election, with some ethnic armed organizations denouncing the election, the vote could provide reassurance to its own ranks, civil servants, and supporters and shore up morale and discipline within the armed forces.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 23 Jan. 2026
Onstage, Gemmill made sure to thank all the first responders and civil servants.
—Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
Without explicit training, civil servants risk assuming that a system that writes like an expert also counts like one.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Jan. 2026
And to mirror that successful PC Home Reform policy from the 90s, the Prime Minister this year supported a Swedish AI Reform scheme that makes agentic AI free for all civil servants, students, teachers, research institutions, and non-profits.
—Oscar Täckström, Fortune, 3 Jan. 2026
A lot of long-time career civil servants who were good at delivering products for the American citizens.
—CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Across the country, tens of thousands of civil servants are rushing to input voter details into a database, by hand.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
By the start of December 2025, over 200,000 civil servants had left the federal workforce, including nearly 5,000 from NASA, 600 from NSF and at least 14,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services, the parent department of NIH.
—Kenneth M. Evans, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil servants
Noun
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The process for deciding on Powell’s replacement began in September with an 11-candidate field that included past and current Fed officials, economists and Wall Street investment professionals.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
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Washington County officials issued a shelter-in-place notice for the Langeloth neighborhood over concerns about a potential release of hydrogen peroxide into the air, although the notice has since been lifted.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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A number of other democracies require some public servants to retire at the age of 75.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
-
As public servants, you are dedicated to the rule of law.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The release said many services for which Medicaid provided funds were not actually provided by Hofius or any other employees at the North Star center.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
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Meanwhile, Austin’s factory had about 22,000 employees as of last year.—
Andrea Guzmán,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Goetz understood this disorder not as the product of scant civic resources or state retreat but rather as the result of liberal misrule—do-gooder bureaucrats, failed social programs, and a city that had coddled the undeserving and the criminal.—
Heather Ann Thompson,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
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The bureaucrats operating Obamacare couldn’t care less about the taxpayers footing the bill.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Overall, immigrants make up more than a quarter of workers who provide direct care in long-term care settings, according to KFF, a health policy research group.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
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For many workers, achieving balance has become increasingly important.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The statute applies to a wide range of public officials — constitutional officers, state’s attorneys, county clerks, public defenders, members of boards of election commissioners, and both current and former state lawmakers.—
Jack O'Connor,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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Any time someone goes to a polling location to vote, and the clerks are unsure if that person can vote, they are given a provisional ballot.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Civil servants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20servants. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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