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Glite Dictionary
Chief Secretary

Chief Secretary

1 7.3
An important government official in charge of a department who coordinates other departments
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : Secretario General
  • During the budget discussion, the Chief Secretary outlined the government's priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.

Examples

  • Hugh Melinsky, Chief Secretary of ACCM for five years before becoming the Principal of the Northern Ordination Course, wrote The Shape of the Ministry in 1992.

    Academic text (2017)

  • The Chief Secretary assured the public that measures would be taken to enhance transparency in government operations.

  • In a crisis meeting on Tuesday night, Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, met with a delegation of retailers including Justin King, chief executive of J Sainsbury, and Charlie Mayfield, the chairman of John Lewis Partnership, to hear their concerns.

    Blog text (4)

  • As Chief Secretary, she was responsible for coordinating the efforts of various departments within the government.

Synonyms

minister
vsChief Secretary
  • UK
862 3.0

A senior government official who leads a department

is comparable but often implies cabinet membership or higher political standing
commissioner
vsChief Secretary
  • Formal
572 5.1

A person who manages a government department or public service

is a political oversight role often within the cabinet rather than independent management
secretary
vsChief Secretary
  • UK
411 4.1

A senior government official who leads a major department

is similar but often used for a senior British political post rather than US title
department head
vsChief Secretary
20 3.0

A person who leads a department in a company or school

is a government-level senior role, usually political and nationally responsible
cabinet minister
vsChief Secretary
  • UK
12 5.0

A senior government official who is part of the cabinet and leads a government department

is a similar senior government post but can be more narrowly administrative
government minister
vsChief Secretary
  • UK
5 3.7

A person in the government who leads a department and makes rules about it

is often the same senior responsibility but may be specifically titled in Britain

How Senior

cabinet minister
  • UK
12 5.0
Chief Secretary
  • UK
1 7.3
minister
  • UK
862 3.0

Surface Forms

Chief Secretary singular
Chief Secretaries plural

Morphology

chief + secretary

The meaning 'an important government official' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'chief' (primary, principal) with 'secretary' (senior administrative official). This is a straightforward compound/title pattern common across languages and government vocabularies, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Chief Secretary comes from the simple idea of a leader's top helper: chief means the head and secretary is the person who looks after a leader's papers and plans. So the picture is of the leader's main assistant who runs the work, which is why today the title means 'an important government official' who oversees departments.