parliamentarian

noun

par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈter-ē-ən How to pronounce parliamentarian (audio)
-mən-
also ˌpärl-yə-
1
often Parliamentarian : an adherent of the parliament in opposition to the king during the English Civil War
2
: an expert in the rules and usages of a deliberative assembly (such as a parliament)
3
: a member of a parliament

Examples of parliamentarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Iranian parliamentarians overwhelmingly approved the appointment of Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi, 68, as the country's new defense chief on Sunday. — Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Members of parliament received in-depth security briefings in Canberra on Wednesday as the Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner pointed to rising reports of harassment and threats against federal parliamentarians. — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 Police reported in 2025 that threats against parliamentarians had doubled over the past three years. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 The parliamentarian’s office advises legislators and their staffs, committees, and each chamber’s presiding officer on legislative procedure and precedent. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for parliamentarian

Word History

Etymology

parliament + -arian

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of parliamentarian was in 1642

Rhymes for parliamentarian

See All Rhymes for parliamentarian

Browse Nearby Words

parliamental
parliamentarian
parliamentarianism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Parliamentarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parliamentarian. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

parliamentarian

noun
par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈter-ē-ən How to pronounce parliamentarian (audio)
-mən-
also ˌpärl-yə-
: an expert in parliamentary procedure

Legal Definition

parliamentarian

noun
par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈtar-ē-ən, ˌpärl-yə-, -mən- How to pronounce parliamentarian (audio)
1
: an expert in the rules and usages of a parliament or other deliberative assembly
specifically, often capitalized : an officer of a legislative body acting as adviser on matters of procedure

Note: The parliamentarian of the U.S. House of Representatives is appointed by the Speaker of the House. The Secretary of the Senate appoints the Senate's parliamentarian with approval of the majority leader.

2
: a member of a parliament
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