functionary
Other forms: functionaries
A functionary is someone who fills a specific role in a political party or some other organization. We tend to picture them as people in gray suits who follow the boss's orders and don't think for themselves.
The origins of this word go back to the French Revolution, and specifically Napoleon. After conquering most of Europe, Napoleon needed lots of people to help carry out all the functions, or duties, of his huge, centralized state. To build an empire you need soldiers; to run an empire you need office workers. These desk knights, if you will, were called fonctionnaires.
Definitions of functionary
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a worker who holds or is invested with an office
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synonyms:
official
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types:
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apparatchik
a humorous but derogatory term for an official of a large organization (especially a political organization)
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appointee
an official who is appointed
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bailiff
an officer of the court who is employed to execute writs and processes and make arrests etc.
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beadle
a minor parish official who serves a ceremonial function
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administrative official, bureaucrat
an official of a bureaucracy
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caretaker
an official who performs the duties of an office temporarily
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censor
a person who is authorized to read publications or correspondence or to watch theatrical performances and suppress in whole or in part anything considered obscene or politically unacceptable
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census taker, enumerator
someone who collects census data by visiting individual homes
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church officer
a church official
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city father
an important municipal official
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civil servant
a public official who is a member of the civil service
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commissar, political commissar
an official of the Communist Party who was assigned to teach party principles to a military unit
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Comptroller General
a United States federal official who supervises expenditures and settles claims against the government
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Comptroller of the Currency
a United States federal official who regulates the national banks
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diplomat, diplomatist
an official engaged in international negotiations
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elected official
official who won the office in a free election
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equerry
an official charged with the care of the horses of princes or nobles
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fire marshall
an official who is responsible for the prevention and investigation of fires
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fire warden, forest fire fighter, ranger
an official who is responsible for managing and protecting an area of forest
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hearing examiner, hearing officer
an official appointed by a government agency to conduct an investigation or administrative hearing so that the agency can exercise its statutory powers
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hangover, holdover
an official who remains in office after his term
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incumbent, officeholder
the official who holds an office
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Inquisitor
an official of the ecclesiastical court of the Inquisition
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invalidator, nullifier, voider
an official who can invalidate or nullify
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judge, jurist, justice
a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court of justice
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licenser
an official who can issue a license or give authoritative permission (especially one who licenses publications)
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mace, macebearer, macer
an official who carries a mace of office
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mandarin
any high government official or bureaucrat
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notary, notary public
someone legally empowered to witness signatures and certify a document's validity and to take depositions
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noticer
someone who gives formal notice
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officeholder, officer
someone who is appointed or elected to an office and who holds a position of trust
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agent, federal agent
any agent or representative of a federal agency or bureau
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provincial
(Roman Catholic Church) an official in charge of an ecclesiastical province acting under the superior general of a religious order
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postmaster general
the official in charge of the national postal service
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proconsul
an official in a modern colony who has considerable administrative power
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prosecuting attorney, prosecuting officer, prosecutor, public prosecutor
a government official who conducts criminal prosecutions on behalf of the state
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quaestor
any of several public officials of ancient Rome (usually in charge of finance and administration)
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recruiter
an official who enlists personnel for military service
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record-keeper, recorder, registrar
someone responsible for keeping records
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regulator
an official responsible for control and supervision of a particular activity or area of public interest
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returning officer
the official in each electorate who holds the election and returns the results
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sealer
an official who affixes a seal to a document
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searcher
a customs official whose job is to search baggage or goods or vehicles for contraband or dutiable items
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teller, vote counter
an official appointed to count the votes (especially in legislative assembly)
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town clerk
the official who keeps a town's records
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doorkeeper, usher
an official stationed at the entrance of a courtroom or legislative chamber
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vizier
a high official in a Muslim government (especially in the Ottoman Empire)
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weigher
an official who weighs and records the weight
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consul
one of the two magistrates elected annually in ancient Rome
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warden
an official who is responsible for enforcing certain regulations or laws
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alcalde
a mayor or chief magistrate of a Spanish town
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ambassador, embassador
a diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country to another
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bean counter
an accountant or bureaucrat who is believed to place undue emphasis on the control of expenditures
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canvasser
a person who takes or counts votes
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charge d'affaires
the official temporarily in charge of a diplomatic mission in the absence of the ambassador
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chief justice
the judge who presides over a supreme court
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churchwarden
an officer in the Episcopal church who helps a parish priest with secular matters
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consul
a diplomat appointed by a government to protect its commercial interests and help its citizens in a foreign country
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coyote
a forest fire fighter who is sent to battle remote and severe forest fires (often for days at a time)
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Daniel
a wise and upright judge
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Protestant deacon, deacon
a Protestant layman who assists the minister
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DA, district attorney
an official prosecutor for a judicial district
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doge
formerly the chief magistrate in the republics of Venice and Genoa
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elder
any of various church officers
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envoy, envoy extraordinary, minister plenipotentiary
a diplomat having less authority than an ambassador
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fire warden, forest fire fighter, ranger
an official who is responsible for managing and protecting an area of forest
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game warden, gamekeeper
a person employed to take care of game and wildlife
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Grand Inquisitor
director of the court of Inquisition (especially in Spain and Portugal)
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high commissioner
a senior diplomat from one country to another who is assigned ambassadorial rank
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Indian agent
a representative of the federal government to American Indian tribes (especially on Indian reservations)
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internuncio
(Roman Catholic Church) a diplomatic representative of the Pope ranking below a nuncio
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justiciar, justiciary
formerly a high judicial officer
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lame duck
an elected official still in office but not slated to continue
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lieutenant governor
an elected official serving as deputy to the governor of a state of the United States
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magistrate
a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law (especially one who conducts a court dealing with minor offenses)
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diplomatic minister, minister
a diplomat representing one government to another; ranks below ambassador
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nuncio, papal nuncio
(Roman Catholic Church) a diplomatic representative of the Pope having ambassadorial status
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office-bearer
the person who holds an office
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Fed, Federal, federal official
any federal law-enforcement officer
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ordinary
a judge of a probate court
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paper-pusher
a clerk or bureaucrat who does paperwork
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persona grata
a diplomat who is acceptable to the government to which he is sent
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persona non grata
a diplomat who is unacceptable to the government to which he is sent
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placeman, placeseeker
a disparaging term for an appointee
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plenipotentiary
a diplomat who is fully authorized to represent his or her government
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praetor, pretor
an annually elected magistrate of the ancient Roman Republic
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probation officer
the officer of the court who supervises probationers
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procurator
(ancient Rome) someone employed by the Roman Emperor to manage finance and taxes
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qadi
an Islamic judge
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rapporteur
a recorder appointed by a committee to prepare reports of the meetings
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recorder
a barrister or solicitor who serves as part-time judge in towns or boroughs
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recruiting-sergeant
a sergeant deputized to enlist recruits
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selectman
an elected member of a board of officials who run New England towns
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selectwoman
an elected member of a board of officials who run New England towns
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sergeant at arms, serjeant-at-arms
an officer (as of a legislature or court) who maintains order and executes commands
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sacristan, sexton
an officer of the church who is in charge of sacred objects
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state attorney, state's attorney
a prosecuting attorney for a state
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assessor, tax assessor
an official who evaluates property for the purpose of taxing it
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collector of internal revenue, exciseman, internal revenue agent, tax collector, taxman
someone who collects taxes for the government
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taxer
a bureaucrat who levies taxes
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trial judge
a judge in a trial court
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trier
one (as a judge) who examines and settles a case
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trustbuster
a federal agent who engages in trust busting
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verger
a church officer who takes care of the interior of the building and acts as an attendant (carries the verge) during ceremonies
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vestryman
a man who is a member of a church vestry
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vestrywoman
a woman who is a member of a church vestry
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George F. Kennan, George Frost Kennan, Kennan
United States diplomat who recommended a policy of containment in dealing with Soviet aggression (1904-2005)
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type of:
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skilled worker, skilled workman, trained worker
a worker who has acquired special skills
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘functionary'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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Word Family
Vocabulary lists containing functionary
Circumference
This nonfiction book recounts the story of how a 245 BCE sea journey from Athens to Alexandria inspired Eratosthenes of Cyrene to contemplate the stars and measure the distance around the earth.
On Liberty
In this influential essay, Mill examines the nature of liberty as it applies to the individual and society as a whole. Read the full text here.
The Man in the High Castle
This novel imagines an America in which the United States lost World War II.
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