Apparatchik

//æpəˈɹæt͡ʃɪk// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A member of the Soviet apparat; a Communist bureaucrat or agent. historical

    "Whether conservatively toeing their Marx or boldly advocating such heretical Western-style reforms as the primacy of profits, every important planner, apparatchik and economist in Russia is caught up in Communism's greatest debate since Stalin set backward Russia on its cruel-but successful-forced march into the 20th century industrial world."

  2. 2
    a communist who was a member of the administrative system of a communist party wordnet
  3. 3
    A blindly loyal bureaucrat. broadly

    "Mr. Gonzales came across as a dull-witted apparatchik incapable of running one of the most important departments in the executive branch. […] He delegated responsibility for purging their ranks to an inexperienced and incompetent assistant who, if that’s possible, was even more of a plodding apparatchik."

  4. 4
    a humorous but derogatory term for an official of a large organization (especially a political organization) wordnet

Etymology

From Russian аппара́тчик (apparátčik, “operator, apparatchik”), from аппара́т (apparát, “apparat, apparatus (of state)”) + suffix -чик (-čik).

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: apparatchik