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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Patrick died Sunday of natural causes in Fairfax, Virginia, officials from his hometown of Clarksburg, West Virginia, announced.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2025
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Agence France-Presse reported last week that EU officials fear Orbán will not budge this time, which, given the unanimity required among members for accession, poses a significant problem for Kyiv, unless he can be defeated in next year's election by Magyar, who backs Ukraine's membership.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Parents are far more invested in their child's academic success than any teacher, school administrator, or federal bureaucrat will ever be.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
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Her mother had just died, so the last thing the caller needed was to be on hold forever waiting for a government agency bureaucrat to finally pick up the phone.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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McCauley was taken into custody and charged with second-degree assault, second-degree breach of peace and interfering with an officer.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2025
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Police said the suspect sustained significant injuries in a shootout with officers who responded to the attack.—
Kati Weis,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The photo album belonged to Karl Höcker, a former bank clerk who came to Auschwitz to be commandant Richard Baer’s right-hand man.—
Karen D'Souza,
Mercury News,
18 Apr. 2025
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The February 2023 election, for example, cost about $200,000, according to the city clerk.—
Tess Riski,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The union’s current contract, approved later that year, left many workers grumbling.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Companies entrenched within a surrounding community may see their dedicated workers as part of an extended family.—
Gerry Spitzer,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Conclusion Effective office spaces are those designed with employees, not just for them.—
Ryan Anderson,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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Lowe’s has about 11,000 employees in the Charlotte region, including 5,000 corporate workers.—
Catherine Muccigrosso,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.
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