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
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
This economic history argues that America’s prosperity is the product not of an undisturbed free market but, rather, of the hard work of functionaries.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for functionary
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
This economic history argues that America’s prosperity is the product not of an undisturbed free market but, rather, of the hard work of functionaries.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionary
Noun
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Earlier this month, officials announced that the city of Little Rock had reached an agreement with firefighters to extend a union contract through 2027.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Oct. 2025
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After an effort to create a Falls of the Ohio national park fell short in 1967, Kentucky and Indiana officials struggled to stop the falls from becoming a garbage dump.—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And the best and the brightest will want to become bureaucrats, not entrepreneurs.—
Ugo Troiano,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
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What follows is a story told from the perspective of the politicians, generals, and bureaucrats in charge of the nation's nuclear war machine.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The measure would provide $45 billion to expand ICE’s detention capacity to nearly 100,000 beds, $14 billion for transportation and removal operations and $8 billion to hire 10,000 new deportation officers.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Oct. 2025
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Indeed, my former agency the NGA is charged with both making maps (the job of explorers) and uncovering what’s really going on in those places (the job of intelligence officers).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Davis asks her clerk to print out a map.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
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Law clerk Jason Treul, 32, of Anaheim, California, was sent home.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The White Lotus season 1 centered on a group of guests and workers at the Hawaii location of the titular luxury resort chain.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
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Reich said Lauren Spors began to scream and threaten those around her, prompting a county worker to call the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Paying the price for the company’s decisions are the 70 full-time park employees and hundreds of seasonal workers, along with the hundreds of thousands of annual guests who will have one less form of affordable entertainment.—
Shannon Pettypiece,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
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Intel now counts 88,400 employees—down from 124,100 this time last year.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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