Thesaurus results for FUNCTIONARIES

functionaries

noun

plural of functionary

as in officials

a person who holds a public office spoke to high-ranking functionaries at the embassy in the hopes that they could help

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in bureaucrats

a worker in a government agency the faceless functionaries at the Internal Revenue Service

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 functionaries Both Washington and Mexico City have launched crackdowns against a complex web of unscrupulous functionaries, front companies and document fraudsters, among others. — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 To the extent that their fellow-citizens refer to them at all, our government functionaries are perceived not as active agents of change but as inert, self-protecting obstructions. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 July 2026 More than funding, though, is needed transparency by IDNR functionaries with marina boaters and Winthrop Harbor officials. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026 Their prestige suffers because it is conflated in the public’s mind with long lines at the DMV, fastidious building inspectors, parking tickets—the stuff of local functionaries. — Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026 Bigelow’s sympathetic eye for her functionaries risks the film being misread as an argument for more robust military funding. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025 Evil is aided and abetted by the banality of institutions and their functionaries. — Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025 Since then, there have been many more arrests—especially of regional functionaries at various levels. — Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2025 But this newsletter is more focused on how Trump and his fawning functionaries speak about and for him. — Chris Brennan, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionaries

Noun

More than two dozen law enforcement officials, from crime analysts to chiefs of police, have been charged with violating their oaths of office and conducting unauthorized searches within the Flock Safety system in Georgia in the past few months.

— Irene Wright, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
At the time, officials said the travel document would only be available at the Washington Passport Agency.

— Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of officials

Noun

After it was immobilized, the driver attempted to leave the vehicle and was apprehended by officers, according to NEA Report.

— Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026
Many reviews mention that representatives and loan officers are easy to reach, knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.

— Dan Simms, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of officers

Noun

Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu via Getty Images Two former Golden State Warriors employees have sued the NBA franchise, alleging gender, age and race-based discrimination, workplace harassment and retaliation tied to their terminations.

— Devon Henderson, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
As a correspondent for the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), Akiyama was chosen out of his 162 fellow employees who applied to fly to space in celebration of the network’s 40th anniversary.

— Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of employees

Noun

Shillings said the secretary of state's office should provide better tools and training to county clerks to prevent future errors.

— Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 27 Aug. 2026
Turnover within the court itself, particularly among judges and clerks, has contributed to case delays and disorganization, said Michael Sharma-Crawford, a local immigration attorney.

— Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of clerks

Noun

Their crabs are steamed, frozen and packed into boxes to be shipped to Sri Lanka, where workers remove the meat by hand.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
The payrolls processing firm said firms added 38,000 workers, fewer than the upwardly revised 46,000 in July and below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 47,000.

— Jeff Cox, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026