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
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
All public servants have my respect and admiration.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
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
All public servants have my respect and admiration.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public servants
Noun
-
Painted Tree officials attributed rising costs, market conditions and changes in consumer shopping behavior as reasons for the closure.—
Gabriela Vidal,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Starmer says he was not informed that the Foreign Office had overruled the recommendation of security officials in early 2025 not to give Peter Mandelson the job.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Essential infrastructure such as schools, housing for married civil servants, malls and other places for entertainment are still missing.—
Niken Sitoningrum,
NPR,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The second section deals with the military and civil servants and the courtiers who excelled by dint of their literary skills or musical genius.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His projects have been with athletes, politicians, chief executive officers, the director of a botanical garden, a physician, a Nepalese monk, a theoretical physicist.—
John McPhee,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In a photo shared by police, officers appeared to have recovered stacks of 20-dollar bills, pills in prescription bottles, and a white powdery substance in little baggies.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hackers in late 2023 stole Glendale Unified School District employees’ Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and financial account information and demanded a ransom for the data, according to the Los Angeles Times.—
Jason Henry,
Daily News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Pickleball players enthused over new courts are likely to be the only residents — outside of municipal employees — who think San Diego is even slightly better run now than in 2011.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The fiduciary standards are developed in part by government bureaucrats.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The bureaucrats of the New Deal understood that very well.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Romvari films Sasha’s efforts by combining authentic documentary elements—the adult Sasha’s interviews with real-life psychologists and social workers—and scenes featuring dramatic monologues of a rare poetic sublimity.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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In states that don’t conform to the federal tax changes, workers who receive a federal tax deduction for tips or overtime still will owe state taxes on those earnings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Public servants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public%20servants. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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