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
Unlike the party functionaries picked previously, all three grew up in the labor movement.
—
John Samuelsen, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
As the German journalist Ronen Steinke argues in his own first-rate biography, Bauer’s greatest achievement was a sprawling trial of some 20 German officers and functionaries at Auschwitz, held in a Frankfurt courtroom in the mid-60s.
—Gary J. Bass, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
The play drew on the verbatim testimony of SS officers, Nazi functionaries and camp survivors, to reconstruct the genocidal horror in harrowing, undeniable detail.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
The hosts were Peter Yates, a functionary at the California Department of Employment, and his wife, the pianist Frances Mullen.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for functionary
John Samuelsen, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
As the German journalist Ronen Steinke argues in his own first-rate biography, Bauer’s greatest achievement was a sprawling trial of some 20 German officers and functionaries at Auschwitz, held in a Frankfurt courtroom in the mid-60s.
—Gary J. Bass, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
The play drew on the verbatim testimony of SS officers, Nazi functionaries and camp survivors, to reconstruct the genocidal horror in harrowing, undeniable detail.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
The hosts were Peter Yates, a functionary at the California Department of Employment, and his wife, the pianist Frances Mullen.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionary
Noun
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Nonprofits serve our communities directly, often in close partnership with law enforcement and other city officials.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
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Russian forces launched a barrage of 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities over the weekend, including the capital Kyiv, in the largest aerial attack of the war so far, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
Noun
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All the more reason why a consortium of the world’s bureaucrats are determined to stop Zsa-zsa by artificially inflating the price of bashable rivets.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
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Unwaveringly prepared, collegial, sharp and measured, Prevost impressed as an uber bureaucrat.—
Mitra Taj,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Noun
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Occupations Spanberger worked on narcotics and money laundering cases as a federal law enforcement officer in the Postal Inspection Service and then at the CIA as a case officer.—
Morgan Kromer,
The Washington Examiner,
27 May 2025
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Raised in Benton, Childress attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and served for a decade as a law enforcement officer in Saline County.—
Josh Snyder,
Arkansas Online,
27 May 2025
Noun
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How the line went away The county line made headlines last year when now-Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) filed a lawsuit against 19 county clerks over the county line system during the 2024 Senate primary.—
Annabella Rosciglione,
The Washington Examiner,
24 May 2025
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There were 17 protests submitted by residents, according to the city clerk, which were not enough to prevent the rate increases.—
Luke Harold,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Tia Carrere, who voiced Nani in the original, appears in the new film as the social worker Mrs. Kekoa.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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At the board meeting, Meadowview officials said a social worker spoke with students on Friday and counselors were at the school Monday.—
Samantha Moilanen,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Murati, who was known at OpenAI for her management skills and execution prowess, recruited 20 OpenAI employees before announcing her company in February.—
Anna Tong,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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Better Service: The company is putting more effort into training employees and making stores easier to shop, which should mean better service for its customers.—
Adam Sarhan,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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