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 calledpolitical commissar an official of the Communist Party responsible for political education, esp in a military unit
2. Also calledPeople's Commissar (before 1946) the head of a government department Now calledminister

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

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.

From BBC

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

From Seattle Times

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".

From BBC

In his book, Mamet describes the leaders of these diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as “diversity capos and “diversity commissars.”

From Los Angeles Times

Wang Wenquan will act as political commissar of the Southern Theater Command that oversees China’s operations in the highly contested South China Sea.

From Seattle Times