commissar

[kom-uh-sahr, kom-uh-sahr]

noun

1. the head of any of the major governmental divisions of the U.S.S.R.: called minister since 1946.

2. an official in any communist government whose duties include political indoctrination, detection of political deviation, etc.

commissar

/ ˌkɒmɪˈsɑː, ˈkɒmɪˌsɑː /

noun

1. Also called: political commissar. an official of the Communist Party responsible for political education, esp in a military unit

2. Now called: minister. Also called: People's Commissar. (before 1946) the head of a government department

commissar

1. In various communist systems of government, an official assigned to a group to ensure the group's conformity to Communist party doctrine. The heads of government departments in the former Soviet Union were called commissars.

Word History and Origins

Origin of commissar¹

1915–20; < Russian komissár < German Kommissar < Medieval Latin commissārius commissary

Word History and Origins

Origin of commissar¹

C20: from Russian kommissar, from German, from Medieval Latin commissārius _commissary

Example Sentences

Over the years, Muivah transformed from jungle commissar to political negotiator.

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Miao Hua, the former head of the Central Military Commission’s political-work department; ex-commanders of China’s strategic-missile force and paramilitary police; and former political commissars of China’s army and navy, according to the spokesman.

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The case was ultimately dropped, but commissioner Julie Inman Grant says she received an "avalanche of online abuse" after Mr Musk called her the "censorship commissar" in a post to his 196 million followers.

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Musk has used his personal X account to accuse Australia interfering with free speech and to deride Inman Grant as the “Australian censorship commissar.”

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Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant - who herself once worked for Twitter - had asked for the video to be removed globally, prompting Mr Musk to call her a "censorship commissar".

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