Is the term just used as a synonym for civil servant, or am I missing something?
From the en.wikipedia.org
To him, guile is a synonym for cowardice, and patience the deadliest of virtues.
From the time.com
The very name-Boy Scout-is practically a synonym for sissy, goody-goody, square.
From the time.com
It is a country whose very name has become a synonym for a materialist paradise.
From the time.com
None should be used in a gratuitous comment by writers as a synonym for rubbish.
From the smh.com.au
The word has been adopted by some Chinese Web users as a synonym for censorship.
From the time.com
These two master control genes, eyeless and twin of eyeless, also have a synonym.
From the scienceblogs.com
From the 17th century the term bandura was often used as a synonym for the kobza.
From the en.wikipedia.org
Alexander is also a synonym of another American hybrid grape variety, Isabella.
From the en.wikipedia.org
More examples
Two words that can be interchanged in a context are said to be synonymous relative to that context
Synonyms are different words with identical or very similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn ("with") and onoma ("name"). The words car and automobile are synonyms. ...
A Synonym is nothing more than an alias or alternate name for a table, view, Sequence, or other Schema object. They are used mainly to make it easy for users to access database objects owned by other users. ...
In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. Usage and terminology are different for zoology and botany.
A word or phrase with a meaning that is the same as, or very similar to, another word or phrase; Any of the formal names for the taxon, including the valid name (i.e. ...
(synonymic) of, relating to, or being a synonym
Synonyms are alternative names for the same chemical. For example, methanol and methyl hydrate are synonyms for methyl alcohol. Synonyms may help in locating additional information on a chemical.
(Synonyms) words or phrases which have similar meaning.
(1. Synonyms) These can be effective since they build on words and phrases that students already recognize. Adjectives often have several symptoms, and phrasal verbs will usually have a non-phrasal verb equivalent. ...