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
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
Surrounded by allies, rivals, and functionaries with their own agendas, Roh navigates a dense network of relationships in his bid to claim the top seat for himself.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for functionary
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
Surrounded by allies, rivals, and functionaries with their own agendas, Roh navigates a dense network of relationships in his bid to claim the top seat for himself.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionary
Noun
-
Trump administration officials also want to work toward establishing a Board of Trade with China to address commercial differences between the countries.—
Will Weissert,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
An internal affairs investigation has been launched after San Diego police clashed with several people in the Gaslamp Quarter early Sunday, deploying Tasers and pepper spray as violent fights broke out amid a large crowd, police officials said.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
At scale, the petty-minded bureaucrats implementing an agenda to sanitize American history, and to erase or suppress political dissent, have committed and will continue to commit a great deal of mischief.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
-
The free market allows discovery of best ways to inhibit and punish undesirable behavior — ways politicians and bureaucrats could never discover.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
One of the owners told officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that 31 other sloths, from Guyana and Peru, had died — either on the way to the attraction or after arriving and being stored over cold nights in a building with no heat or running water.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2026
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His attorney had asked officers to check on him, investigators said.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
The judges face a ticking clock as local election clerks prepare to finalize ballots for the August primaries by May 26 and decisions in the three cases are likely to come quickly.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
10 May 2026
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Khatri approached the undercover officer who had just presented the store’s clerk with a fake $1,000 winning ticket, court records show.—
Jack Jankowski,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
And inside the adjacent soft pretzel shop, two workers leaned over on the counter, watching videos on a phone to pass the time.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Earlier this week the United Nations blasted Israel over its strikes killing healthcare workers, saying the World Health Organization has recorded 151 such attacks resulting in 103 deaths and 230 injuries.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
As of December, Cloudflare had 5,156 employees.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
Shelter employees identified him through an NYPD CrimeStoppers alert, leading to his arrest two days later.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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