director vs executive

director

noun
  • One who directs; the person in charge of managing a department or directorate (e.g., director of engineering), project, or production (as in a show or film, e.g., film director). 

  • A device that displays graphical information concerning the targets of a weapons system in real time. 

  • A counselor, confessor, or spiritual guide. 

  • The common axis of symmetry of the molecules of a liquid crystal. 

  • A member of a board of directors. 

  • That which directs or orientates something. 

executive

noun
  • A chief officer or administrator, especially one who can make significant decisions on their own authority. 

  • A process that coordinates and governs the action of other processes or threads; supervisor. 

  • The branch of government that is responsible for enforcing laws and judicial decisions, and for the day-to-day administration of the state. 

adj
  • Of, pertaining to, or having responsibility for the day-to-day running of an organisation, business, country, etc. 

  • Designed or fitted for execution, or carrying into effect. 

  • Exclusive. 

How often have the words director and executive occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )