Thesaurus results for FUNCTIONARIES

functionaries

noun

plural of functionary

as in officials

a person who holds a public office spoke to high-ranking functionaries at the embassy in the hopes that they could help

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in bureaucrats

a worker in a government agency the faceless functionaries at the Internal Revenue Service

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 functionaries Both Washington and Mexico City have launched crackdowns against a complex web of unscrupulous functionaries, front companies and document fraudsters, among others. — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 To the extent that their fellow-citizens refer to them at all, our government functionaries are perceived not as active agents of change but as inert, self-protecting obstructions. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 July 2026 More than funding, though, is needed transparency by IDNR functionaries with marina boaters and Winthrop Harbor officials. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026 Their prestige suffers because it is conflated in the public’s mind with long lines at the DMV, fastidious building inspectors, parking tickets—the stuff of local functionaries. — Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026 Bigelow’s sympathetic eye for her functionaries risks the film being misread as an argument for more robust military funding. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025 Evil is aided and abetted by the banality of institutions and their functionaries. — Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025 Since then, there have been many more arrests—especially of regional functionaries at various levels. — Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2025 But this newsletter is more focused on how Trump and his fawning functionaries speak about and for him. — Chris Brennan, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionaries

Noun

Canadian government officials have consulted provinces and labor groups but have not settled on what form the relationship should take.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
In January, Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted, leading officials at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park to warn visitors about heavy traffic, crowds and potential hazards.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of officials

Noun

The Washington Post reported last month that authorities have charged or accused at least 50 law enforcement officers of leveraging ALPRs without authorization, sometimes using the software to stalk women.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
Among them is a complaint by four Muslim women in Arizona who sued multiple police departments and Arizona State University after male officers removed their hijabs while arresting them at pro-Palestinian campus protests in 2024.

— BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of officers

Noun

The big story This photograph taken on November 5, 2025 shows employees inspecting photovoltaic (PV) cells used in solar panels at an Adani Group factory in Gujarat’s port city of Mundra.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026
Airlines, airports, investors and employees own the remaining shares in the public-private partnership.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of employees

Noun

Election clerks raised similar concerns directly to USPS officials just days before the final rule was issued, at a mid-August National Association of Election Officials conference in Kansas City, Missouri, ProPublica has learned.

— Jen Fifield, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 2026
Other jobs on this list include occupations that are largely administrative and deal with handling data or customer service, such as office clerks, secretaries, administrative assistants, customer service reps and tellers.

— Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of clerks

Noun

For example, an investor could search for cities in the Sunbelt, the Midwest or specialized college towns experiencing steady inbound migration of young professionals and hybrid workers.

— Justin Donald, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
According to new Gallup polling, 27% of US workers worry that technology will render their jobs obsolete, a new high.

— Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026