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
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Recent Examples of functionary
Some were alarmed by reports that mid-tier functionaries at Exxon have been engaged in backchannel discussions with Rosneft.
—
Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 31 Aug. 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
That so many corrupt functionaries and cartel capos ultimately face responsibility in the United States — and not in Mexico — underscores a fundamental weakness of the Mexican justice system, observers say.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025
Previously, Abbas had served as a longtime PLO functionary, acting as the group’s foreign emissary and fundraiser.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 31 Aug. 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
That so many corrupt functionaries and cartel capos ultimately face responsibility in the United States — and not in Mexico — underscores a fundamental weakness of the Mexican justice system, observers say.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025
Previously, Abbas had served as a longtime PLO functionary, acting as the group’s foreign emissary and fundraiser.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionary
Noun
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Members of the new Agentic Futures Initiative believe lawmakers and officials need to better understand the technology to ensure new products remain interoperable across platforms, private — and secure.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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The meeting was the second of three community events TEA officials are holding around Fort Worth to take questions from the public about the upcoming state takeover of Fort Worth ISD.—
Silas Allen,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But for Steiner, of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, the case has forced Israelis to examine the worsening clash between populist politicians and unelected bureaucrats whom some Israelis view as out of touch.—
Matt Bradley,
NBC news,
4 Nov. 2025
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Often affiliated with the state and temples, these people were typically royalty, high-level bureaucrats and priests.—
Serdar Yalçin,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Yehuda Shmidman, chief executive officer of WHP Global, and Wang spoke on a panel at the WWD Apparel and Retail CEO Summit, moderated by Amanda Smith, chief executive officer of Fairchild Media Group.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
10 Nov. 2025
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In September, Apollo launched its new sports fund led by CEO Al Tylis, co-portfolio managers Rob Givone and Lee Solomon, and chief strategy officer Sam Porter.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Last year, in an effort to bring at least some unofficial results to the county faster, Forlini and the county sheriff offered a program where a deputy and a county clerk employee went to municipalities to pick up the sticks and drive them back to the county elections department in Mount Clemens.—
Christina Hall,
Freep.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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In September 2017, Singer petitioned the clerk of Palm Beach County to legally change his name to Hunter Barrett Scott.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The plan additionally would guarantee back pay for federal workers and reverse agency layoffs during the government shutdown.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Nov. 2025
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Once approved, the short-term deal will provide immediate financial relief for about 700,000 federal workers who have been furloughed or on the job without pay for more than a month.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Employers can create weekly forums where employees can share both AI successes and failures without judgment, then reallocate budgets away from underperforming AI experiments to pilots that are showing success.—
Feon Ang,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
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Relief also came for DHS employees on Thursday when it was announced that USDA will provide administrative funding for the SNAP program, meaning the state won't furlough 1,500 employees in its Division of County Operations on Friday.—
Daniel McFadin,
Arkansas Online,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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