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 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 Their prestige suffers because it is conflated in the public’s mind with long lines at the DMV, fastidious building inspectors, parking tickets—the stuff of local functionaries. — Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 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
  • City officials asked people to avoid the downtown area where police are investigating the shooting.
    — Michael Loria, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • In 2019, officials introduced a state-of-the-art recovery room under Arthur Ashe Stadium where players can go during their breaks for treatments and rest.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of official
Noun
  • Borrowers need to keep opportunities to educate themselves about the nuances of credit cards, not cede for some bureaucrat to decide what risk should cost.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Seba Zarea, a likably frank Saudi bureaucrat who helps run the Culinary Arts Commission, told me that the decision required years of discussion.
    — Ruby Tandoh, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of bureaucrat
Noun
  • Bossell is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, third-degree assault of a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest and tampering with a motor vehicle in connection with the death of 29-year-old Graham Hoffman.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Carrie Skains, the former human resources director at Trinity Valley School, alleged in the suit that the school’s chief financial officer, Adam Wojtelwicz, berated her and other female employees.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of officer
Noun
  • Requests for comment sent to the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office and the local circuit court clerk were not immediately returned.
    — Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The court clerk of Oklahoma’s Western District declined to comment on behalf of the district and the judges.
    — Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of clerk
Noun
  • Singapore pays its political leaders high salaries to attract talent and deter graft, but the issue is thorny in the city-state, where the median wage worker made S$5,775 ($736) a month in 2025.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
  • To give workers more, the DSA would basically end capitalism.
    — Nolan Finley The Detroit News, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of worker
Noun
  • The first phase is expected to be completed in 2029 and will bring together at least 3,000 employees.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Rudin had stepped away from producing in 2021, after a Hollywood Reporter story detailed multiple claims from Rudin’s former employees of bullying and verbal abuse as well as throwing objects at staff.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 8 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 10 Sep. 2026.

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