1
as in officials
a person who holds a public office
the new governor made a vow that he would always remember why he was called a public servant
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in civil servants
a worker in a government agency
concerned that the new federal agency would just add another slew of public servants to the government payroll
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of public servants
To be honest, this risk goes also to nurses, policemen, teachers, doctors, public servants.
—
Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
None of the remaining candidates across either party have presented a compelling vision or demonstrated sufficient credibility and trustworthiness to inspire voter confidence, with all candidates appearing primarily as ambitious contenders rather than public servants.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The school nurtured generations of students who went on to become educators, business leaders, public servants and community advocates.
—Danita R. Dehaney, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Several House members noted the lasting impact the DHS shutdown will have on public servants.
—Arden Farhi, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
Sullivan noted there’s almost two dozen former public servants running for office this cycle and said the group is planning to put out their first round of endorsements within the next week or two.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 23 Mar. 2026
As public servants, your first loyalty should be to public school students whose parents cannot afford private schools even with a voucher.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Mar. 2026
But dismissing public servants as lazy, overpaid or uncaring ignores the reality of the people doing the work — and undermines our ability to attract the talent needed to govern well.
—John Atkinson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The perpetrators were not children, but knowledgeable adults who willfully chose to harass public servants.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
None of the remaining candidates across either party have presented a compelling vision or demonstrated sufficient credibility and trustworthiness to inspire voter confidence, with all candidates appearing primarily as ambitious contenders rather than public servants.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
The school nurtured generations of students who went on to become educators, business leaders, public servants and community advocates.
—Danita R. Dehaney, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Several House members noted the lasting impact the DHS shutdown will have on public servants.
—Arden Farhi, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
Sullivan noted there’s almost two dozen former public servants running for office this cycle and said the group is planning to put out their first round of endorsements within the next week or two.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 23 Mar. 2026
As public servants, your first loyalty should be to public school students whose parents cannot afford private schools even with a voucher.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Mar. 2026
But dismissing public servants as lazy, overpaid or uncaring ignores the reality of the people doing the work — and undermines our ability to attract the talent needed to govern well.
—John Atkinson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The perpetrators were not children, but knowledgeable adults who willfully chose to harass public servants.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public servants
Noun
-
When the Mission gang scandal burst into public view, department officials publicly called it an isolated problem of rogue gang officers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
There have been at least five such attacks on healthcare workers over the course of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, UN officials said.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Judge Jesse Furman decided the case belongs with him because Comey was fired pursuant to the president's executive authority and not the usual procedures for civil servants.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The firm recruits tenants from the State Attorney’s Office, police and fire departments, and hospitals, and 70% of residents are civil servants, the partners say.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
After some counting—and the consulting of an Excel spreadsheet—the officers determined that Silvia and Guojun were the parents of twenty-one children in total, nearly all under the age of three.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
After a series of coups by officers dissatisfied with lagging counterterrorism efforts, juntas in the three countries booted France altogether, establishing close ties with Russia instead.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Not far from where the two sat, a customer service light flickered on and off, but no employees manned the help desk.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
As of December, Cloudflare had 5,156 employees.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Their search for additional protagonists eventually led them to Dana Vitkovska, a Ukrainian transgender multidisciplinary artist living in Warsaw, whose journey to construct her identity on her own terms sets her at odds with Polish bureaucrats.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Alarmed by growing difficulties for skyway-level residents, workers and shop owners, Kehmeier joined forces with fellow skyway denizens to launch Friends of the Skyway in January.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2026
-
Lately, a solid consumer has left retailers confident enough to hire more workers to stock shelves or staff cash registers.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Public servants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public%20servants. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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