functionary

Meaning

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.
2. Such a person who is petty, pedantic, short-sighted, uncaring, or counterproductive; sometimes also with implication of being amoral or corrupt.

Synonyms

official

officer

civil servant

bureaucrat

public servant

administrator

employee

incumbent

minister

officeholder

mandarin

🍊

public officer

ministrant

government agent

dependent

office worker

🧑‍💼

clerk

personnel

civil service

servant

white-collar

white-collar worker

government employee

dignitary

high position

government official

staff member

Translations

fonctionnaire

funcionario

funzionario

funcionário

Funktionär

ambtenaar

beambte

Beamter

functionaris

fermanber

karmend

miwazif

memûr

wezîfedar

Etymology

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