commissar

noun

com·​mis·​sar ˈkä-mə-ˌsär 

1

a

: a Communist party official assigned to a military unit to teach party principles and policies and to ensure party loyalty

b

: one that attempts to control public opinion or its expression

2

: the head of a government department in the Soviet Union until 1946

Examples of commissar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The prolific author also serves as a kind of cultural commissar, heading the government’s publishing house, El Fondo de Cultura Económica, which has published 10,000-plus titles across genres in its august, 90-year history. —Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025

In July 2023, Beijing appointed a PLA Navy deputy commander as the Rocket Force's new commander and an Air Force officer as its new political commissar. —Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024

As the chief political commissar of the PLA, Miao is tasked with ensuring its loyalty to the ruling Communist Party. —Nectar Gan, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024

He was appointed the political commissar of the PLA Navy in 2014, overlapping with the time Dong served as the deputy chief of staff of the Navy. —Steven Jiang, CNN, 28 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Russian komissar, borrowed from German Kommissar, earlier Commissar "person delegated to perform an office, commissioner" borrowed from Medieval Latin commissārius commissary

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

commissar

noun

com·​mis·​sar ˈkäm-ə-ˌsär 

1

: a Communist party official who enforces loyalty in a military unit

2

: a government department head in the U.S.S.R. until 1946