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

Notably, the bill allows members to keep their current portfolio and leaves officials in the executive branch untouched.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
Federal probation officials are recommending 24 months in prison.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of officials

Noun

Investigators are still working to determine exactly what happened inside the house, and Hartman said officers encountered inconsistencies while interviewing those who were there.

— Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Jolly has called for a new requirement that officers obtain a warrant from a judge before accessing Flock camera footage, while Donalds is pushing for harsher punishments to deter misuse.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of officers

Noun

September 24, 2026 AI is rapidly changing how top leaders communicate with employees, customers, boards, and each other.

— Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 24 Sep. 2026
Folklore intentionally awards $10,000 grants rather than spreading the money across a larger number of smaller awards, with the goal of providing enough funding for investments such as equipment, additional space or employees.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of employees

Noun

Meanwhile, Brown, a former security official with the Michigan Department of State, said her group has hired former CISA employees to help provide training and other support to election clerks and fill the gap.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
While Thursday was the first day clerks could send vote-by-mail ballots, Johnson said they weren’t required to mail them on that day.

— Susan Sarkauskas, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of clerks

Noun

Containment efforts have also been hamstrung by insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike and intense population movements.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
How the Saver’s Match will work The new Saver’s Match is part of an ongoing broader effort to help workers save for retirement.

— Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026