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
Unlike the party functionaries picked previously, all three grew up in the labor movement.
—
John Samuelsen, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
The hosts were Peter Yates, a functionary at the California Department of Employment, and his wife, the pianist Frances Mullen.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
The play drew on the verbatim testimony of SS officers, Nazi functionaries and camp survivors, to reconstruct the genocidal horror in harrowing, undeniable detail.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
Geoffrey Mason was barely 30, a control-room functionary working a down day at the 1972 Munich Olympics, when history called on a push-button phone.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for functionary
John Samuelsen, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
The hosts were Peter Yates, a functionary at the California Department of Employment, and his wife, the pianist Frances Mullen.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
The play drew on the verbatim testimony of SS officers, Nazi functionaries and camp survivors, to reconstruct the genocidal horror in harrowing, undeniable detail.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
Geoffrey Mason was barely 30, a control-room functionary working a down day at the 1972 Munich Olympics, when history called on a push-button phone.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionary
Noun
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Joshua Darst, 21, fell from a cart around 11 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18, at the Linder Family Tennis Center, officials said.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
22 Aug. 2025
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The woman was pronounced deceased at the scene, officials said.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The success of this plan will depend on execution and a willingness to embrace a different mindset, that of an entrepreneur rather than a bureaucrat.—
Frederik Riskær Pedersen,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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And then there’s the EV charging network overseen by federal bureaucrats that cost American taxpayers $7.5 billion and produced 68 stations with 384 ports.—
Las Vegas Review-Journal,
Twin Cities,
10 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The shooter, identified by officials as 27-year-old Shane Tamura of Nevada, killed three other people: Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, Rudin Management associate Julia Hyman and Aland Etienne, another security officer, before reportedly killing himself.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
20 Aug. 2025
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The man continued to walk toward the officers, and a police officer with a rifle shot the man, according to Fernandez.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The judge even gave out her clerk’s cellphone number so the parties could reach out if any issues come up over the weekend.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
16 Aug. 2025
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When the drop box had still not been returned to the clerk's office on Sept. 27, 2024, Bernarde filed a second report to the Marathon County District Court and delivered a letter to the mayor requesting the return of the drop box by noon that day.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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With the recent signing of an executive order aimed at allowing 401(k) plans to include alternative investments such as private equity, private credit, real estate and cryptocurrency, more American workers could gain access to investment vehicles that were once off-limits to most retirement savers.—
Gregory Clifford,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Through Donald Trump's AI Action Plan, the president has similarly emphasized speed, pushing for federal workers to adopt AI as quickly as possible.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Officers said two men, ages 21 and 22, were seen of shoplifting when a store employee confronted them, prompting a fight inside the business.—
Emma Hall,
Sacbee.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Advancements like these can drive customer acquisition and boost employee productivity, all good for the bottom line.—
Lionel Lim,
Fortune,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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