as in minion
disapproving
a very loyal member of an organization (such as a company or political party) who always obeys orders
party apparatchiks
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Recent Examples of apparatchik
The latest iteration of Venezuela’s long-running crisis began after the head of the National Electoral Council, a Maduro apparatchik, declared him the victor on July 29th, with fifty-one per cent of the vote to forty-four per cent for González.
—
Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2024
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is a laconic apparatchik who lacks the imagination to deal with complicated situations.
—Eric Edelman, Foreign Affairs, 2 Jan. 2023
Khamenei will decide which hardline apparatchik appears on the ballot to replace him.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 23 May 2024
There were several oligarchs who helped Putin rise from a K.G.B. apparatchik in Leningrad to autocrat in the Kremlin.
—Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for apparatchik
Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2024
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is a laconic apparatchik who lacks the imagination to deal with complicated situations.
—Eric Edelman, Foreign Affairs, 2 Jan. 2023
Khamenei will decide which hardline apparatchik appears on the ballot to replace him.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 23 May 2024
There were several oligarchs who helped Putin rise from a K.G.B. apparatchik in Leningrad to autocrat in the Kremlin.
—Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for apparatchik
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apparatchik
Noun
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Yanking the rug out from under thousands of foreigners who often risked life and limb to find a safe haven in America is an unconscionable act of heartless, anti-humanitarian gall on the part of Donald Trump and his minions.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
9 June 2025
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Her niftiest fight sequence looks like abstract art: a stark black-and-white aerial pan of her shadow battling minions down a hallway.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Noun
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Adding to the Israeli public pressure to end the war is the large number of soldiers, 20, killed in Gaza in the past month alone.—
James Hider,
NPR,
7 July 2025
-
Decker is described by authorities as a skilled outdoorsman and former U.S. Army soldier.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
Noun
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According to tradition, the incumbent chooses his successor, and is then — so adherents believe — reincarnated in that person’s body.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
3 July 2025
-
This trails both Muslims and Hindus, who each retain 99 percent of their adherents from childhood.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Noun
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Outside of one good scene between Clark and Lois, almost every frame is constantly packed with characters, whether this is the (admittedly very funny) Justice Gang (Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl and Edi Gathegi’s scene-stealing Mister Terrific) or Lex and his lackeys.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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Where Supes clocks an evil lackey straight in the jaw so hard that his teeth hit the camera lens?—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Apparatchik.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apparatchik. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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