# functionary

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfʌŋ(k).ʃn̩.(ə)ri/ · frequency rank #63,634

## Definitions
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.

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

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/functionary