PUBLIC SERVANTS Synonyms: 30 Similar Words

public servants

noun

plural of public servant

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

Relevance

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

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 public servants But, at the heart of it is what appears to be a very ugly feud between two public servants. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 2026 This blatant fealty over objectivity perverts the process by choosing personal loyalists instead of independent public servants. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026 This blatant expression of fealty over objectivity perverts the process by choosing personal loyalists instead of independent public servants. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026 That perception damages public confidence and undermines the work of the many honest public servants who faithfully serve their communities. — Amy Elik, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026 The California state worker Reddit page, found at r/CAStateWorkers, has long served as the online water cooler for the thousands of public servants across the state. — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026 On Wednesday, July 15, the monarch visited Heroes On The Water Isle of Man, a charity that supports military veterans, emergency service personnel and other uniformed public servants through kayak angling and outdoor activities. — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026 The Coalition urges Congress to ensure that Tiered Standard payments count for PSLF, allowing more public servants access to forgiveness. — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 As public servants and the keepers of this institution, we are charged with helping a nation find understanding, hope, and clarity and as part of that duty, we are dedicated to excellence, reflection, and growth. — Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for public servants

Noun

The ‘next step’ On a sunny September day last year in the Chinese port city of Ningbo, not far from Shanghai, higher-ups from shipping company Sea Legend mingled with local transport officials at a port terminal.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Overnight a shift in wind direction raised the risk that the flames could reach Gey by morning, prompting officials to order the initial evacuation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of officials

Noun

According to the Partnership for Public Service, more than 200,000 civil servants left the federal workforce in 2025 through voluntary and involuntary separations aimed at reducing head count.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026
Burnham plans to work there at least one day a week, alongside a full-time staff of aides, experts and civil servants.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of civil servants

Noun

The race has been shaped by the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, confrontations that were caught on camera and fueled a backlash to Trump’s immigration policies.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
The judge also said ICE officers did not follow procedures established to ensure due process.

— Adam Thompson, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of officers

Noun

More damaging, employees gradually learn that raising concerns means navigating the leader's emotional reaction before addressing the actual issue.

— Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Or, that some of those same city employees would set up web cameras so that hundreds of residents could watch the baby falcons grow up in their nest on a ledge outside City Hall.

— Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of employees

Noun

The aid workers who once regularly visited her village to help pregnant women had stopped coming, after foreign aid cuts by the United States shuttered a program aimed at saving mothers’ and babies’ lives.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
The idea is for tech workers to live and work in the same building.

— John Ramos, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of workers

Browse Nearby Words

public servant

public servants

public speaking

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Public servants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public%20servants. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of public servants

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

zeugma

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes