secretary-general

noun

sec·​re·​tary-gen·​er·​al ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē-ˈjen-rəl How to pronounce secretary-general (audio)
-ˈje-nə-rəl
plural secretaries-general
: a principal administrative officer
secretary-general of the United Nations

Examples of secretary-general in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That makes the speech delivered nine days ago by George Robertson, defense secretary in former Prime Minister Tony Blair's first administration and later the 10th secretary-general of NATO, all the more extraordinary. Ian King, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026 The increasing tensions led the NATO secretary-general at the time, George Robertson of Britain, to downplay the growing divide and assure the world that NATO members still supported the United States. Carla Martinez MacHain, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026 Lai will not depart for Eswatini on Wednesday as planned, according to Pan Men-an, secretary-general of the Presidential Office in Taipei. Yian Lee, Bloomberg, 21 Apr. 2026 By tradition, the secretary-general rotates by region. ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for secretary-general

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of secretary-general was in 1701

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Cite this Entry

“Secretary-general.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secretary-general. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

secretary-general

noun
plural secretaries-general
: a principal officer of administration
secretary-general of the United Nations
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