Thesaurus results for FUNCTIONARY

functionary

noun

ˈfəŋ(k)-shə-ˌner-ē

Definition of functionary

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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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

Noun

On Friday, the Justice Department followed up with a warning that state election officials who knowingly process ballots cast by noncitizen voters are at risk of investigation.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
The ongoing war in Iran has centered on nuclear issues, including enrichment—Iranian officials have resisted any peace-deal terms that restrict the country’s enrichment program.

— Nick Bockelman, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of official

Noun

Democratic politicians, bureaucrats and labor leaders, once rabble-rousers like Bass who nowadays seem to exist mostly to keep their sinecure, have labored mightily to convince unbelieving voters that Bass deserves another shot.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Peggy Flanagan's answer to every question is to tax more, spend more, regulate more and give more power to bureaucrats.

— WCCO Staff, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of bureaucrat

Noun

According to the district’s chief business officer Gerardo Castillo, Sac City Unified’s initial report included only its 2025-26 expenditures and left out spending from 2024-25.

— Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Mike Krieger, Anthropic’s chief product officer and an advisor at Collective[i], summed it up in a single line.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of officer

Noun

An agent that can both draft and post a journal entry has the same segregation-of-duties problem as a clerk who can do both.

— Jacqueline DeStefano-Tangorra, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his convictions earlier this year, ruling that a court clerk influenced jurors during his trial.

— Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of clerk

Noun

The program could also be targeted rather than universal — triggered by sector-specific unemployment spikes, income level, or geography, so the money flows first to the workers AI disrupts most.

— Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
At least six families said health workers visited only after a child had died from measles in their community.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of worker

Browse Nearby Words

functionaries

functionary

functioned

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Style

“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of functionary

noun

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