secretary-general

American

[sek-ri-ter-ee-jen-er-uhl] / ˈsɛk rɪˌtɛr iˈdʒɛn ər əl /

noun

plural

secretaries-general

the head or chief administrative officer of a secretariat.

secretary-general British

noun

a chief administrative official, as of the United Nations

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of secretary-general

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I think the cardinals were looking for three things,” said Alistair Dutton, secretary-general of Caritas Internationalis, the global confederation of Catholic humanitarian organizations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

Throughout the day, he spoke with the leaders of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s secretary-general, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

NATO's secretary-general at the time, Jens Stoltenberg, dismissed Macron's call for strategic dialogue in Europe, arguing that a "tried and tested" deterrent was already in place.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

"It's a reflection of the way of life of we Ghanaians," said professor Osman Damba Tahidu, secretary-general of the Ghana Commission for UNESCO.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

Ever since Walter had become secretary-general of the ANC, I had felt that every effort should be made to ball him out of prison.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023