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

Relevance

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 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 Surrounded by allies, rivals, and functionaries with their own agendas, Roh navigates a dense network of relationships in his bid to claim the top seat for himself. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionaries

Noun

City officials along with the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) spent years preparing for the biggest event in Atlanta’s history.

— Andrea Clement, AJC.com, 17 July 2026
SpaceX officials did not say how many engines failed to start during the ignition sequence, but a graphic of engine status on SpaceX’s live video stream indicated four of the 33 engines never ignited.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026

Definition of officials

Noun

Collecting bureaucrats’ signatures is at best a distraction from those efforts.

— Editorial, Boston Herald, 16 July 2026
These incidents rarely appear in the statistics politicians and bureaucrats cite when assuring the public that downtown is moving in the right direction.

— Jonathan Beaton, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2026

Definition of bureaucrats

Noun

The same may be true for military personnel, law enforcement officers, commercial drivers or others who are subject to strict workplace drug-testing programs.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 19 July 2026
For the last three decades, the division has investigated allegations of police misconduct, authority it was granted by Congress after the 1991 beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles Police Department officers.

— Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026

Definition of officers

Noun

Labor negotiations between the El Dorado Hills Community Services District and its unionized employees have lasted more than a year.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
The need became more evident after the unexpected death of a City Hall colleague on February, a loss that deeply affected employees across the city, Salgado said.

— Verónica Egui Brito July 15, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026

Definition of employees

Noun

Adopted by the Atlanta City Council this spring, the initiative offers a framework to hold the city accountable for protecting workers’ rights and address the needs of vulnerable populations, among other goals, during World Cup games.

— DeAsia Paige, AJC.com, 15 July 2026
The plaintiffs’ lawyers said in a statement that the lawsuit asks for one thing — preserving the status quo to keep the workers employed pending arbitration.

— Barbara Ortutay, Fortune, 15 July 2026

Definition of workers

Noun

Endlessly mocked, constantly parodied, and vaguely resented, the mandarins in American civic life have no real allies or admirers.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 July 2026
Thankfully, a handful of citrus trees, including lemons, limes, and mandarins, can thrive in containers.

— Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 24 May 2026