apparatchik

apparatchik
noun

pluralapparatchiks also apparatchiki ;
Synonyms of apparatchik
1
: a member of a Communist apparat
2
: a blindly devoted official, follower, or member of an organization (such as a corporation or political party)
a movie studio apparatchik


Did you know?
The apparat in apparatchik (a term English speakers borrowed from Russian) essentially means "party machine," with machine referring to a highly organized political group under the leadership of a boss or small group of individuals: apparatchik originally referred to someone functioning as a cog in the system of the Communist Party. The term is not a flattering one, and its negative connotations reflect the perception of some Communists as obedient drones in the great Party machine. In current use, however, a person doesn't have to be a member of the Communist Party to be called an apparatchik; they just have to be someone who mindlessly follows orders in an organization or bureaucracy.

Examples of apparatchik in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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In that time, Tucci appeared in a number of films as either a foot soldier, don, or other apparatchik of an underground criminal organization, including Quick Change, Men of Respect, Billy Bathgate, and The Public Eye.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 19 Mar. 2025
But his theory seemed to mirror the temperament of Deng, who, for all his reformist tendencies, was a ruthless apparatchik.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
The latest iteration of Venezuela’s long-running crisis began after the head of the National Electoral Council, a Maduro apparatchik, declared him the victor on July 29th, with fifty-one per cent of the vote to forty-four per cent for Gonz;lez.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2024
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is a laconic apparatchik who lacks the imagination to deal with complicated situations.
—Eric Edelman, Foreign Affairs, 2 Jan. 2023