as in official
a worker in a government agency
the officious mandarins in the motor vehicles department refused to let me renew my license without all of the required forms
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mandarin
Koala Eco’s Natural Multi-Purpose cleaner banishes stubborn condiment stains and leaves a fragrant mandarin scent.
—
Kristin Corpuz, Architectural Digest, 16 Jan. 2026
The food, half oranges, one-third grapefruit and the rest mandarins, is to be distributed to food banks and nutrition assistance programs.
—Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2026
Calamondin oranges, a cross between a kumquat and mandarin, taste tart like lemons and limes and make a great substitute for them.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 10 Jan. 2026
The forbidden rice added a nice nuttiness and some extra heft, and juicy mandarin sections provided lovely pops of fruity sweetness.
—Lizzy Briskin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mandarin
Kristin Corpuz, Architectural Digest, 16 Jan. 2026
The food, half oranges, one-third grapefruit and the rest mandarins, is to be distributed to food banks and nutrition assistance programs.
—Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2026
Calamondin oranges, a cross between a kumquat and mandarin, taste tart like lemons and limes and make a great substitute for them.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 10 Jan. 2026
The forbidden rice added a nice nuttiness and some extra heft, and juicy mandarin sections provided lovely pops of fruity sweetness.
—Lizzy Briskin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mandarin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mandarin
Noun
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Five people have died, and dozens of others were injured after a massive pileup of more than 30 vehicles in Colorado, officials say.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
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Yet in 2024, county officials nonetheless gave the coalition a second contract.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Education decisions belong with parents, not bureaucrats.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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When Vance attended the annual Munich Security Conference as a first-term senator, in 2024, he got fed up with the European Union bureaucrats and took off early to reconnect with Dreher, who had come from Budapest, over beer and sausages.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The DuPage County clerk was given a court order to take Brown's name off the ballot for not having enough signatures.—
Asal Rezaei,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
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That included a contract with a former clerk to help with the name verification process for the public safety training center referendum brought by critics in an attempt to halt the process.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Instead, the women and their husbands found out about the data center project from speaking directly to the workers hired to move dirt and dig runoff ditches ahead of construction.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
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Amazon has often fielded criticism of its warehouse working conditions, and has been cited in the past for exposing workers to ergonomic hazards.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But Calm’s push beyond the consumer business has also given Ko insights into the fraying mental health of the people in charge of those employees.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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Geoff Davis doesn’t want his employees to have to rely on tips.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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More than funding, though, is needed transparency by IDNR functionaries with marina boaters and Winthrop Harbor officials.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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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
Noun
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Chichi, meanwhile, has moved to Tokyo and become a civil servant.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
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Last year, approximately three hundred and fifty-two thousand civil servants left their jobs, fulfilling one of the Administration’s stated goals of dismantling the government bureaucracy and demoralizing the federal workforce.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mandarin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mandarin. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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