secretary-general
Americannoun
-
secretaries-general
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Mr. Ryan is a former U.N. assistant secretary-general.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The U.N. secretary-general, a global mediator and administrator to a vast bureaucracy created after World War II, has limited power and an increasingly pinched budget.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Focus has been on the resulting rise in oil prices, but it is potential food shortages the world should be paying attention to, said ICC secretary-general John Denton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The outgoing secretary-general, Antonio Guterres of Portugal, ends his second five-year term on December 31, 2026.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Cyril Ramaphosa was elected secretary-general, evidence that the torch was being passed from an older generation of leadership to a younger one.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
We don’t know why they didn’t invoke Article 99, and several of the previous secretaries-general are now dead.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
Previous secretaries-general have brought threats that they saw to international peace and security to the Security Council without mentioning Article 99.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
"The secretaries-general who've failed to get full second terms have antagonized one of the permanent five Security Council members," he said.
From Reuters ● Jun. 19, 2011
At Caramanlis' urging, the Cabinet fired all the military-appointed provincial prefects and all secretaries-general of the government ministries.
From Time Magazine Archive
The chief of all the personnel of prefects, under-prefects, and secretaries-general represented there, lolling on these velvet divans in this vulgar greenroom.
From His Excellency the Minister by Henri Roberts
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