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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
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
Geoffrey Mason was barely 30, a control-room functionary working a down day at the 1972 Munich Olympics, when history called on a push-button phone.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for functionary
John Samuelsen, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 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
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
Geoffrey Mason was barely 30, a control-room functionary working a down day at the 1972 Munich Olympics, when history called on a push-button phone.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for functionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionary
Noun
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Union officials hoping to block the terminations said the officers described in the court documents were just a small portion of the 30 officers targeted for termination, many of whom had worked for various city and law enforcement agencies in the past.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
15 July 2025
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In the meantime, Killingly officials began to raise a number of concerns about the project in filings made with the siting council.—
John Moritz,
Hartford Courant,
15 July 2025
Noun
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The bureaucrats in charge chose to lie to the public about this unpleasant fact.—
Josh Mazer,
Baltimore Sun,
9 July 2025
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This would shift decision-making power to lawmakers (or possibly bureaucrats employed by the state).—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Hot Topic Beth Deane, chief legal officer for Electric Hydrogen, on the survival of federal hydrogen tax credits in Trump’s budget bill The outlook for the 45V federal credit seemed grim in the new budget but it was maintained in the final version.—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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Last month, the 75-year-old announced her departure from the fashion magazine's day-to-day operations, while remaining chief content officer for Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue, the Associated Press reported.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
Noun
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The 1,300-member Judicial Professional Employees Union, which represents probation officers, information technology analysts, assistant clerks, counselors and other support staff, announced an impasse July 2.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
9 July 2025
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Cathleen Reynolds, who most recently served as the interim city administrator/clerk/treasurer of Crosby, Minn.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
9 July 2025
Noun
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Instead, the workplace economy must foster a system that shares risk, prioritizes results, and better supports workers through the full journey to economic mobility.—
Jason Wingard,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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As the number of raids on workers and families escalates, ICE agents will engage in more warrantless knocks on doors, searches, and arrests.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
9 July 2025
Noun
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In metro Detroit, a Chevrolet and Ford dealer each reported monthly loan terms and payments are much lower here than Edmunds' national averages because of the popularity of leasing and employee discounts, both of which bring down monthly payments.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
USA Today,
8 July 2025
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During the first two weekends, wait times stretched from one to two hours, according to an employee.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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