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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No new trade deals have been reached, although administration officials said negotiations are underway.—
Time,
Time,
10 Apr. 2025
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The reasons for Patel's removal have not been made clear, and the change was only communicated to senior ATF officials on Wednesday.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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That is complicit with scheming orchestrated by politicized bureaucrats.—
Jack Fowler,
National Review,
7 Apr. 2025
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All of this was done in consultation with the people who understood the problems best, putting faith in the expertise of top bureaucrats to build a better mousetrap.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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On arriving, Pembroke Park Police, Hallandale Beach Police and Broward Sheriff’s officers found the six people who had been shot; only Phiinyx Solomon and McKenzie were alive at the time.—
Kathy Laskowski,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2025
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The Knights’ chief operating officer then smiled.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In its second phase, the website will host career pathways for 30 job titles, including wholesale sales representatives, security guards, shipping and inventory clerks and even human resources specialists.—
Maria Gracia Santillana Linares,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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The judge in the case was another Floridian, a former justice of the peace, clerk of the court, and lawyer whose appointment was given the stamp of approval by Tallahassee newspapers.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Learn More Auto workers face potential temporarily lay offs amid President Trump's new tariffs 02:17 Mr. Trump has previously reversed course on tariffs, causing upheaval in financial markets and leading economists to raise the odds of the U.S. economy entering a recession this year.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2025
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The coveted endorsements came from the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, which represents building workers.—
Nicholas Fandos,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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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
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Conclusion Effective office spaces are those designed with employees, not just for them.—
Ryan Anderson,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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