1
as in official
a person who holds a public office
spoke to high-ranking functionaries at the embassy in the hopes that they could help
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2
as in bureaucrat
a worker in a government agency
the faceless functionaries at the Internal Revenue Service
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of functionary
Competent functionaries mostly belonged to other political camps.
—
Kaya Genc, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2019
The group’s materiel and manpower have been distributed across various security agencies, where they are managed by functionaries who are more loyal and less ambitious.
—Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2024
Everyone else, from cabinet members to party functionaries, is kept on a long leash.
—Constanze Stelzenmüller, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
Think about your last price negotiation—with a car dealer, a potential new hire's salary demands or your least favorite procurement functionary.
—Danny Ertel, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Kaya Genc, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2019
The group’s materiel and manpower have been distributed across various security agencies, where they are managed by functionaries who are more loyal and less ambitious.
—Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2024
Everyone else, from cabinet members to party functionaries, is kept on a long leash.
—Constanze Stelzenmüller, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
Think about your last price negotiation—with a car dealer, a potential new hire's salary demands or your least favorite procurement functionary.
—Danny Ertel, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionary
Noun
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Dwight Howard, the best player on the franchise’s 2008-09 Eastern Conference championship team and Orlando’s career leader in total points, rebounds and blocks, will be inducted into the Magic’s Hall of Fame later this month, team officials announced Thursday night.—
Josh Robbins,
The Athletic,
7 Mar. 2025
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Adams has denied those allegations and the quid pro quo, as has Trump’s DOJ officials.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Zelensky thanked at least 38 heads of state, former heads of state, bureaucrats, ministers, and other officials from 26 countries, quoting their statements of support.—
Brady Knox,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
1 Mar. 2025
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Prescriptive one-size-fits-all mandates authored by state and county bureaucrats only hinder the ability of teachers to use their gifts.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Leading up to Saturday’s presentation, the chief executive officer spoke to WWD about Icicle’s ambitions abroad, its premiumization plan, its secret New York DNA and more.—
Denni Hu,
WWD,
4 Mar. 2025
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In an interview with Forbes.com, Sarah Johnson, Carnegie Hall’s chief education officer, said the Well-Being Concerts—which grew out of the Covid-19 pandemic—for the first time this season are bilingual.—
Jane Levere,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The New York man charged with what police said was a racially motivated attack of a Black hotel clerk in Mystic nearly four years ago has filed a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from his former lawyers.—
Greg Smith,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2025
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According to the Will County circuit court clerk’s office, Czuba is scheduled for sentencing on May 2.—
Sophia Tareen and Melissa Perez Winder,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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That's a staggering 83% loss. Between the lines: The downtown reshuffling comes at a tricky time as companies push to get workers back in offices full time.—
Justin Kaufmann,
Axios,
27 Feb. 2025
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Between fiscal years 2015 to 2019, agency inspectors general substantiated only 100 allegations of employee time and attendance misconduct or fraud out of a federal workforce of around 2.1 million employees (the GAO report did not include postal workers).—
Laura Doan,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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When colleges join hands through the NCAA to set eligibility rules to play sports, those colleges are excluding students, rather than employees or prospective employees, from eligibility.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Mar. 2025
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Encourage employees to highlight risks, potential failures or unpopular opinions. 8.—
Antonio Garrido,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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