ombudsman · noun — an appointed official whose duty is to investigate complaints, generally on behalf of individuals such as consumers or taxpayers, against institutions such as companies and government departments. It carries an Arena rating of 1444, earned across 112 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, ombudsman ranks #823 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,865 of 17,165 for Most Satisfying to Say, #3,636 of 17,146 for Most Storied Words, #5,238 of 17,129 for Most Ponderous Words.
ombudsman is pronounced /ˈɒmbədzmən/.
Why “ombudsman” is a great word
OMBUDSMAN — [Noun] An official appointed to investigate complaints lodged by individuals against public authorities or private institutions. Borrowed from Swedish ombudsman, from ombud (“representative, proxy”) + man (“person”), from Old Norse umboðsmaðr (“commission man”). Unlike a “mediator,” who facilitates negotiation, or an “auditor,” who examines ledgers, the ombudsman is an institutional conscience—the patient listener in a quiet office, the meticulously indexed file that reveals a pattern of neglect, and the formal report that lands with a soft, consequential thud. A single voice appointed to remind the machinery that it is meant to serve people, not deafen them.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from Swedish ombudsman (equivalent to ombud (“representative, proxy”) + man), from Old Norse umboðsmaðr.
noun
- An appointed official whose duty is to investigate complaints, generally on behalf of individuals such as consumers or taxpayers, against institutions such as companies and government departments.
- A designated internal mediator in an organization whose duty is to assist members with conflict resolution and other problems and to serve as an independent consultant to recommend changes to policies or procedures to improve organization effectiveness, efficiency, and humaneness.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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