A civil servant is a person who works for the government or public sector, typically in an administrative or executive role. There are various synonyms that can be used to describe civil servants, such as public servant, government employee, bureaucrat, functionary, administrator, official, clerk, officer, and executive. Each of these words describes someone who works within the government machine, but there may be subtle differences in connotations. For example, "bureaucrat" often has negative connotations of bureaucracy, while "official" suggests someone who has an official role or capacity. Regardless of the term used, civil servants play an important role in the functioning of government and public services.