functionary

noun

ˈfəŋ(k)-shə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce functionary (audio)
Definition of functionarynext
1
as in official
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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2
as in bureaucrat
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 functionary Pernkopf was a Nazi functionary who became dean of the medical faculty in 1938 and rector of the university in 1943. — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026 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 But Díaz-Canel is largely viewed by experts as a functionary, a loyalist without much true authority. — Ellen Uchimiya, CBS News, 19 May 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 See All Example Sentences for functionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionary
  1. official
  2. bureaucrat
  3. officer
  4. clerk
  5. worker
  6. employee
Noun
  • Minneapolis officials estimated the crackdown’s economic cost at nearly $700 million.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Russia's round-the-clock bombardment of targets in Ukraine killed at least seven people and wounded more than 80 others, officials said Monday.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of official
Noun
  • The prosecutor was aware that some people viewed career officials who had remained at the Justice Department as comparable to the bureaucrats who had dutifully followed orders in Nazi Germany.
    — Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • His father worked as a bureaucrat in Manhattan; his mother taught piano lessons from their living room.
    — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of bureaucrat
Noun
  • That officer then shot into Perez's vehicle, lodging a bullet in his back, officials say.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The message described a company with €80 billion in annual revenue that was looking for a chief sustainability officer.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of officer
Noun
  • Earlier this year, Newsom called for local elections clerks to count ballots faster to head off misinformation ahead of the June 2 primary.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Some budgetary concern No formal opposition arguments have been submitted to the registrar-recorder/county clerk.
    — Jon Regardie, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of clerk
Noun
  • Prescription drugs filled at a pharmacy represented 18% of a worker’s health care premium in 2021, after factoring in any rebates paid out by manufacturers, according to the consulting and actuarial firm Milliman.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Face masks were distributed to local kindergartens, and mandatory mask mandates were slapped on workers at the nearby Irkutsk Aluminum Plant.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of worker
Noun
  • Current and past employees hold the remaining 51% equity interest.
    — Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Despite disruptions to his company, his priority is to protect his employees.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of employee

Browse Nearby Words

functionaries
functionary
functioned
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Cite this Entry

“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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