civil service

NOUN

bureaucracy

Synonyms

STRONGEST

administration authority management ministry red tape

STRONG

directorate government officialdom officials

WEAK

beadledom city hall powers that be regulatory commission the Establishment the system

NOUN

public service

Synonyms

WEAK

benevolences good works philanthropies public life works

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One veteran of Whitehall's corridors told me: "The contempt for the civil service, now amply reciprocated, has left the means by which politicians implement their policy frightened and wary."

From BBC • May 16, 2026

He said: "But wherever you serve, I want to be clear: these events do not define the civil service."

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has told civil servants he values them speaking "truth to power", in a letter that acknowledges an "unsettling" period for the civil service.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Normally, top mandarins are plucked from the British civil service for the Washington post.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

“Being everyone’s mother again. D’you know, there are girls getting all sorts of jobs now. Even taking the civil service exams. That would please the Old Man.”

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

civil service

Example Sentences

Related Words