1
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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2
as in bureaucrats
a worker in a government agency
the faceless functionaries at the Internal Revenue Service
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functionaries
Noun
-
One teen hid under a white truck, then fought with officers.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Apr. 2025 -
No officers or bystanders were injured, the news release said.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The third of a tea seller’s six children, Modi is a departure from the pedigreed, English-speaking bureaucrats who governed India for most of its post-independence history.—
Manvir Singh,
The New Yorker,
23 Dec. 2024
-
That’s not surprising, given that the state’s education bureaucrats consciously developed the multipoint dashboard to conceal the chronic lack of academic achievement.—
Dan Walters,
The Mercury News,
15 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The report’s headline finding—claiming that just six per cent of federal employees work full time in their offices—was quickly debunked.—
Charlie Tyson,
The New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2025
-
That would require terminating tens of thousands of employees after the VA expanded during the Biden administration, as well as to cover veterans impacted by burn pits under the 2022 PACT Act.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Platt along with his department heads, city planners and office clerks worked alongside the snow removal pros in the public works department with an aggressive attack that’s common in many northern cities, but which was unheard of in Kansas City a few years ago.—
Mike Hendricks,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2025
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Because the robbers were wearing masks, the store clerks also couldn’t conclusively identify Knight or any other accomplices.—
Shirsho Dasgupta,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
With technological advancements in AI and machine learning threatening to displace workers—or, at least, that’s a fear—these innately human competencies will set businesses apart.—
Juan Carlos Santiago,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
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This eliminated much of the benefit of moving North, especially for lower-skilled workers who often paid a larger share of their income for housing.—
Adam A. Millsap,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Functionaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functionaries. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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