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
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2
as in bureaucrat
a worker in a government agency
the faceless functionaries at the Internal Revenue Service
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of functionary
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
See All Example Sentences for functionary
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
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionary
Noun
-
The building is believed to be a total loss, fire officials said.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
11 June 2026
-
Callahan was reported missing by campground management after his maintenance cart was discovered unattended at the far end of the campground, officials said.—
Michael Guise,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
There is an unmistakable feeling that a great mass of fans are priced out, or fenced out, while wealthy sponsors and venal bureaucrats get the benefits.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
13 June 2026
-
Because in November, voters will be asked to shift a massive chunk of funding authority away from city and county governments to state lawmakers and Tallahassee bureaucrats.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
San Jose police told CBS News Bay Area that officers responded to the campus of Branham High School Friday morning for a hate crime that allegedly happened two days prior.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
9 Dec. 2025
-
Apple said ICEBlock targets law enforcement officers, according to the suit.—
Lora Kolodny,Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
9 Dec. 2025
Noun
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In a follow-up email the next day, the judge speculated to Pryor that the law clerk may have invented things in retaliation for being required to work in the office.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
In a follow-up email the next day, the judge speculated to Pryor that the law clerk may have invented things in retaliation for being required to work in the office.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Some of the architects of this revolution are front and center in Seiler’s image, an homage to the famous 1932 photograph of construction workers on a steel beam 800 feet above the RCA building in New York City, which TIME named as one of the 100 most influential photographs of all time.—
D.W. Pine,
Time,
11 Dec. 2025
-
The 300-bed hospital was overflowing with patients at the time of the strike, an aid worker said.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
SpaceX's first employee and Elon Musk shared an enthusiasm for model rockets.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
The employee rejected his advances and reported it to supervisors, Golf Digest reported.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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