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Functionary: meaning, definitions and examples

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functionary

 

[ ˈfʌŋkʃəˌnɛri ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

government official

A functionary is a person who has a position in a large organization, especially a government, and whose job involves dealing with official documents.

Synonyms

administrator, bureaucrat, official

Examples of usage

  • He was a faceless functionary in the Ministry of Information.
  • The functionaries at the embassy processed the visa applications efficiently.
  • She worked her way up from a lowly functionary to a high-ranking official.

Translations

Translations of the word "functionary" in other languages:

🇵🇹 funcionário

🇮🇳 कर्मचारी

🇩🇪 Beamter

🇮🇩 pegawai

🇺🇦 посадовець

🇵🇱 urzędnik

🇯🇵 役人 (やくにん)

🇫🇷 fonctionnaire

🇪🇸 funcionario

🇹🇷 memur

🇰🇷 공무원 (gongmuwon)

🇸🇦 موظف

🇨🇿 úředník

🇸🇰 úradník

🇨🇳 官员 (guānyuán)

🇸🇮 uradnik

🇮🇸 embættismaður

🇰🇿 қызметкер

🇬🇪 თანამდებობის პირი

🇦🇿 vəzifəli şəxs

🇲🇽 funcionario

Word origin

The word 'functionary' originated in the late 18th century from the Latin word 'functionarius', meaning 'pertaining to performance of duties'. It was first used in English to describe a person performing official or administrative duties within an organization. Over time, the term has come to be associated particularly with government officials and bureaucrats.

See also: dysfunction, dysfunctional, functional, functionality, functionally, functionaries, functioning, functions, malfunction, malfunctions, misfunction, multifunctional, multifunctionality, nonfunctional, perfunctory.

Word Frequency Rank

Positioned at #22,147, this word is part of extensive vocabulary. It's relatively rare in general usage but may be important in specific fields or formal writing.