undersecretary

noun

un·​der·​sec·​re·​tary ˌən-dər-ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce undersecretary (audio)
-ˈse-kə-
variants or under secretary
: a secretary immediately subordinate to a principal secretary
—often capitalized when used as a title
the British Undersecretary for India
the Under Secretary of the Treasury

Examples of undersecretary 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.
Hung Cao, the current undersecretary of the Navy, will serve as acting secretary. — Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026 Public interest in the case intensified after the local press widely reported that the father of one of the suspects served as undersecretary for governance and compliance within Rio’s state social development and human rights department. — Eléonore Hughes, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026 Emil Michael, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said at an industry conference last month that the Pentagon plans to go big with the LUCAS drone. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2026 John Hurley left his post as undersecretary for terrorism after raising privacy concerns about federal monitoring of international payments from the Minneapolis area. — Andrew Ackerman, Washington Post, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for undersecretary

Word History

First Known Use

1687, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of undersecretary was in 1687

Rhymes for undersecretary

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Browse Nearby Words

undersecretariat
undersecretary
undersecretaryship
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Cite this Entry

“Undersecretary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undersecretary. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

undersecretary

noun
un·​der·​sec·​re·​tary ˌən-dər-ˈsek-rə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce undersecretary (audio)
: a secretary right under a principal secretary
undersecretary of state

More from Merriam-Webster on undersecretary

Nglish: Translation of undersecretary for Spanish Speakers

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