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.

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

Founded in 1945, the UN has never had a woman secretary-general.

From Barron's

The Costa Rican former vice-president said she wanted to rebuild global trust in the United Nations if she becomes its next secretary-general.

From Barron's

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

The reformist People's Party "submitted a case" to a criminal court against seven election commissioners, the Election Commission's secretary-general and another election official, deputy party leader Wayo Assawarungruang said.

From Barron's

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