undersecretary

noun

un·​der·​sec·​re·​tary ˌən-dər-ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē 

-ˈse-kə-

variants or under secretary

: a secretary immediately subordinate to a principal secretary

—often capitalized when used as a title

the British Undersecretary for India

the Under Secretary of the Treasury

Examples of undersecretary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

President Donald Trump announced plans to nominate Hung Cao, a Navy veteran who has launched unsuccessful bids for U.S. House and Senate seats in Virginia, for undersecretary of the Navy. —Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025

Tibor Nagy, acting undersecretary of State for management, told employees in an email that department leadership would respond on behalf of workers. —Lindsay Whitehurst and Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2025

He’s now been appointed acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, one of the State Department’s top jobs, sending a worldwide message about who represents Trump’s America. —Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2025

Dario Gil, whom Trump has tapped to be undersecretary of energy for science and innovation, is perhaps an exception, having served as chairman of the National Science Board and as IBM’s director of research. —Michael S. Lubell, Scientific American, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1687, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for undersecretary

• beneficiary
• bronchopulmonary
• evolutionary
• expeditionary
• extramedullary
• extraordinary
• extrapulmonary
• genitourinary
• geostationary
• hepatobiliary
• illocutionary
• insurrectionary

Kids Definition

undersecretary

noun

un·​der·​sec·​re·​tary ˌən-dər-ˈsek-rə-ˌter-ē 

: a secretary right under a principal secretary

undersecretary of state