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

In August 2023, Bangs offered LaGrone an earlier plea agreement under which he would have been sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to a record in the district clerk’s file.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, said that the clerks who didn't comply with the government's demands could face prosecution as well.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of clerk

Noun

In new measures, the army said most Palestinian workers with permits will not be allowed to enter Israeli West Bank settlements on Sunday and Monday, and crossings into Israel will remain closed until after Israel's elections on Tuesday.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Crump also highlighted that Foster was accused of making a racially offensive remark to a co-worker days before the shooting, according to Mississippi Today.

— Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 25 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of functionary

noun

Example Sentences

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