functionary

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
19
Words With Friends
22
Letters
11
Pronunciation
/ˈfʌŋ(k).ʃn̩.(ə)ri/
See all 2 pronunciations
/ˈfʌŋ(k).ʃn̩.(ə)ri/ · /ˈfʌŋ(k).ʃəˌnɛ.ri/

Definition of functionary

2 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. A person employed as an official in a bureaucracy (usually corporate or governmental) who holds limited authority and primarily serves to carry out a simple function for which discretion is minimal or not required.
    “Near-synonyms: bureaucrat; official; officer; administrator; apparatchik”
    “Consciences are for politicians, Bernard! We are humble functionaries whose duty it is to implement the commands of our democratically elected representatives.”
See all 2 definitions

noun

  1. A person employed as an official in a bureaucracy (usually corporate or governmental) who holds limited authority and primarily serves to carry out a simple function for which discretion is minimal or not required.
    “Near-synonyms: bureaucrat; official; officer; administrator; apparatchik”
    “Consciences are for politicians, Bernard! We are humble functionaries whose duty it is to implement the commands of our democratically elected representatives.”
  2. Such a person who is petty, pedantic, short-sighted, uncaring, or counterproductive; sometimes also with implication of being amoral or corrupt.
    “Near-synonyms: bureaucrat, apparatchik; paper-pusher; bean counter”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From French fonctionnaire; by surface analysis, function + -ary.

Words you can make from functionary

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9-letter words

1 word

8-letter words

9 words

7-letter words

34 words

6-letter words

66 words

5-letter words

89 words

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