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
What’s most important, both men say, is to allow the career civil servants at BLS to carry out their jobs.
—
Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Some civil servants working to bolster democracy around the world and at home, for example, were disturbed by shifts in foreign policy.
—Yvonne Zylan, The Conversation, 4 Sep. 2025
In Venezuela, Cecilia was a veteran government worker who loved working in the tax department and training future generations of civil servants.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
Mass firings of civil servants, the dismissal of government watchdogs, the weaponization of the military against our citizens, the use of the national budget as a cudgel, and the dehumanization of immigrants.
—Stacey Abrams, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
Compensation costs inevitably grow due to rising healthcare expenses and cost-of-living adjustments for Capitol Police officers, workers at the Architect of the Capitol, and the nonpartisan civil servants inside the Library of Congress and other support agencies.
—Kevin R. Kosar, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
As civil servants have departed the center, political appointees have gained a foothold.
—ProPublica, 21 Aug. 2025
The nearly universal use of electronic payments has facilitated use of the e-CNY in the Chinese mainland, with some cities using it to pay wages of civil servants.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2025
Debora Cahn, creator and showrunner of the Netflix series, discusses season two’s cliff-hanger ending and the importance of highlighting the work of civil servants.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2025
Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Some civil servants working to bolster democracy around the world and at home, for example, were disturbed by shifts in foreign policy.
—Yvonne Zylan, The Conversation, 4 Sep. 2025
In Venezuela, Cecilia was a veteran government worker who loved working in the tax department and training future generations of civil servants.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
Mass firings of civil servants, the dismissal of government watchdogs, the weaponization of the military against our citizens, the use of the national budget as a cudgel, and the dehumanization of immigrants.
—Stacey Abrams, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
Compensation costs inevitably grow due to rising healthcare expenses and cost-of-living adjustments for Capitol Police officers, workers at the Architect of the Capitol, and the nonpartisan civil servants inside the Library of Congress and other support agencies.
—Kevin R. Kosar, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
As civil servants have departed the center, political appointees have gained a foothold.
—ProPublica, 21 Aug. 2025
The nearly universal use of electronic payments has facilitated use of the e-CNY in the Chinese mainland, with some cities using it to pay wages of civil servants.
—Nino Paoli, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2025
Debora Cahn, creator and showrunner of the Netflix series, discusses season two’s cliff-hanger ending and the importance of highlighting the work of civil servants.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for civil servants
Noun
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Multiple White House officials arrived in their current jobs after working at Turning Point USA, the conservative outreach group that Kirk led and co-founded to energize Republicans on college campuses.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
On fourth down a flag was thrown for what looked like pass interference on the Mustangs, but after the officials huddled, the penalty was waved off giving the ball back to the Bulldogs.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Lawmakers are public servants, not reluctant volunteers conscripted into duty.—
Andrew Leahey,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Our judges are dedicated public servants who serve with integrity.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 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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That promise now feels increasingly tenuous; few of the permanent employees have been hired yet, the complex is still under construction, and most of the workforce are transient staff on temporary visas or contracts – like the ones swept up by ICE.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Jeffrey Epstein's cabal of politicians, bureaucrats, and elites who turned a blind eye must be held accountable.—
Anna Commander
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Every head of every government in the world has been frustrated with bureaucrats.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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High-skilled workers will see income growth, while low-skill workers will be competing for a decreasing number of job openings.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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If tax records and documents do not add up, employers and employees may be arrested and detained as investigators sort out who is illegally present in the United States or illegally employing workers.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Most counties in Kansas have elected county clerks, but the Secretary of State appoints the election commissioner in Kansas’ four largest counties — including Wyandotte and Johnson.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
12 Sep. 2025
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These include customer-service representatives, clerks, analysts, public-relations specialists, and administrators.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Civil servants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/civil%20servants. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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