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
Geoffrey Mason was barely 30, a control-room functionary working a down day at the 1972 Munich Olympics, when history called on a push-button phone.
—
Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
And the private enterprises that committed vast sums to mollifying the activist class by parking DEI functionaries in sinecures within their human-resources departments began paring back their beneficence.
—The Editors, National Review, 16 May 2024
MacDowell as first wife Ann is given just one scene to make an impression, as is Benanti as wife No. 2, but both these talented actors come off as more functionary against Keaton than truly three dimensional.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2024
The teenage Reuss became the leader of an empire-wide socialist youth organization and was kicked out of school for attempting to recruit the son of a powerful conservative functionary.
—Tomas Weber, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for functionary 
Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
And the private enterprises that committed vast sums to mollifying the activist class by parking DEI functionaries in sinecures within their human-resources departments began paring back their beneficence.
—The Editors, National Review, 16 May 2024
MacDowell as first wife Ann is given just one scene to make an impression, as is Benanti as wife No. 2, but both these talented actors come off as more functionary against Keaton than truly three dimensional.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2024
The teenage Reuss became the leader of an empire-wide socialist youth organization and was kicked out of school for attempting to recruit the son of a powerful conservative functionary.
—Tomas Weber, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for functionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionary
Noun
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Plans by the new owner of basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan’s former mansion to sell $1 million co-ownership interests in the property appear legally permissible, Highland Park officials said Monday.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Jan. 2025
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Before these orders were issued, Monterey County officials advised people living in certain zones (MRY-B047 and MRY-B053) to close windows and doors and shut off air systems.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Americans see a broken federal government — but aren’t as concerned about the ‘deep state’ As Trump sweeps into his second term with promises to cut regulations and reduce the role of government bureaucrats, most Americans think the federal government has serious problems.—
Linley Sanders,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2025
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Those bureaucrats, in order to save face for the Communist Party, have sanctioned the Rubio from before.—
Raul A. Reyes,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Two adults and three kids were sleeping inside when the unknown suspect approached the front door and kicked it before entering, officers said.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacramento Bee,
27 Jan. 2025
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Darwin Gomez, 20, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in July for kicking one of the officers and received a 364-day jail term.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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No attorney information was available on the county clerk’s website.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
25 Jan. 2025
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And only 43 of Mississippi’s 82 chancery court clerks submitted data during the same period, despite a law from 2023 that required the courts to report psychiatric commitment data to the state.—
Gwen Dilworth,
ProPublica,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Fire crews were filling sandbags for communities while county workers installed barriers and cleared drainage pipes and basins.—
Marcio Jose Sanchez,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2025
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Related Stories News Flavor Flav Launches Fundraiser for Black Families Displaced by L.A. Wildfires Shire and Sims are just two of the thousands of entertainment workers whose lives have been upended by the Los Angeles wildfires that tore through sections of the L.A. area starting Jan. 7.—
Katie Kilkenny,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The president also signed an executive order banning federal employees from working remotely on Monday, which may be part of a strategy to gut the federal workforce and replace vacancies with workers who are explicitly loyal to Trump.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
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The couple alleges that they were racially profiled by employees of the airline after Williams, a Black man, was accused of trafficking his own wife, Shasholka, a Russian national.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near functionary
Cite this Entry
“Functionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionary. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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