apparatchiks

noun

variants also apparatchiki
plural of apparatchik
as in minions
disapproving a very loyal member of an organization (such as a company or political party) who always obeys orders party apparatchiks

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of apparatchiks Xi’s brand of resentful nationalism, meanwhile, comes with a strong anti-American streak, and security apparatchiks see CIA spies everywhere. — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026 The group ventriloquized the voices of authority—parents, school principals, cops, military officers, judges, politicians, newscasters, Soviet apparatchiks—and turned them into expressions of mass insanity. — Andrew Katzenstein, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026 This agitprop is vomited out 24/7 by Democrat media apparatchiks who were also unerringly described by Orwell in his novel 1984. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apparatchiks
  1. minions
  2. soldiers
Noun
  • There are references to demons, being burned alive, and the duende king explicitly commands his minions to kill Jo and Raissa.
    — Parents, Parents, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Musashi becomes part of a crew that fights the Genma and Yoshitsune’s minions.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of minions
Noun
  • Our soldiers, who have been on the front line for weeks and months, are being delivered food and water using appropriate drones with Starlink.
    — Kristin Wright, NPR, 18 Oct. 2026
  • An Army officer who fought with his superiors for his soldiers’ safety.
    — Washington Post readers, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of soldiers

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apparatchik
apparatchiks
apparatus
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Cite this Entry

“Apparatchiks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apparatchiks. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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