as in minion
disapproving
a very loyal member of an organization (such as a company or political party) who always obeys orders
party apparatchiks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of apparatchik
There were several oligarchs who helped Putin rise from a K.G.B. apparatchik in Leningrad to autocrat in the Kremlin.
—
Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
In the intensely ideological and conformist atmosphere of today’s China, no apparatchik will depart from the safety of the party line without a clear signal from the leader.
—Danny Russel, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2021
Decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, Cold War ideology continues to form Western perceptions of the Eastern Bloc as a backward region, uniformly totalitarian, where everybody was either an apparatchik or a dissident.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Romania’s new leader after Mr. Ceausescu’s capture and execution was Ion Iliescu, a Communist apparatchik who served two terms as Romania’s first post-Communist president.
—Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for apparatchik
Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
In the intensely ideological and conformist atmosphere of today’s China, no apparatchik will depart from the safety of the party line without a clear signal from the leader.
—Danny Russel, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2021
Decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, Cold War ideology continues to form Western perceptions of the Eastern Bloc as a backward region, uniformly totalitarian, where everybody was either an apparatchik or a dissident.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Romania’s new leader after Mr. Ceausescu’s capture and execution was Ion Iliescu, a Communist apparatchik who served two terms as Romania’s first post-Communist president.
—Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for apparatchik
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apparatchik
Noun
-
Could there be any truth to the fan theory that Greg was hiding on the boat when Tanya killed Quentin and his minions, then fatally conked herself in the head while escaping?—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
17 Feb. 2025
-
In the closing moments of the penultimate episode, Silver is plotting with his minions aboard his yacht.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
So, there is a sense that London is dangerous and that all the soldiers have just returned and brought their guns with them.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Carleton argues that Russell and Tolstoy’s focus on the plight of the individual soldier amid the horror and senselessness of war shaped the public perception of later quagmires, such as World War I and the Vietnam War.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Trump has routinely demanded that his adherents, family or not, state that black is white.—
Jon Allsop,
The New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2025
-
But many also cited or were adherents of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory.—
Jude Joffe-Block,
NPR,
30 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
One of Knuckles’ many lackeys ultimately finds Rose by … going to her apartment building, where her name is prominently displayed on her mailbox?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Federal employees shouldn't be misled by slick talk from unelected billionaires and their lackeys.—
Kristan Hawkins,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to apparatchik
Cite this Entry
“Apparatchik.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apparatchik. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share