secretary-general

noun

sec·​re·​tary-gen·​er·​al ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē-ˈjen-rəl How to pronounce secretary-general (audio)
-ˈje-nə-rəl
plural secretaries-general
: a principal administrative officer
secretary-general of the United Nations

Examples of secretary-general in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Mohamed Nasheed is the secretary-general of the Climate Vulnerable Forum. Mohamed Nasheed, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025 Ruiz Massieu, who has served as special representative of the secretary-general in Colombia since 2019 monitoring the implementation of the peace agreement between the government of Colombia and the FARC-EP guerrillas, arrived in Haiti over the weekend. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2025 The Secretariat is led by a secretary-general — currently, former Kuwaiti official Haitham al-Ghais, who took office for his first three-year term in 2022 and has since been reappointed for a second stint starting Aug. 1, 2025. Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 11 July 2025 Following President Donald Trump's successful brokering of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, India and Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, critics say the U.N. secretary-general, António Guterres, could do well to follow Trump's lead as a peacemaker. Beth Bailey , David Hammelburg, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for secretary-general

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of secretary-general was in 1701

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Cite this Entry

“Secretary-general.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secretary-general. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

secretary-general

noun
plural secretaries-general
: a principal officer of administration
secretary-general of the United Nations
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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