Bureaucracy

/bjʊəˈɹɒk.ɹə.si/ · noun

Meaning

Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers..

Definitions by Sense

1. Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.
2. (business, organizational theory) A system of administration based upon organisation into bureaus, division of labour, a hierarchy of authority, etc., designed to dispose of a large body of work in a routine manner.
3. The body of officers and administrators, especially of a government.
4. (chiefly derogatory) Excessive red tape and routine in any administration, body or behaviour.

Example Sentences

However, when Britain left the European Union, ferries started to ply a direct sea link from Ireland, to save hauliers from custom's bureaucracy of driving via Britain.

At that time the administration replaced the system of patronage in the civil service with a bureaucracy.

Each of the most provocative selections is facing criticism that they lack the expertise and experience to run the vast, specialized bureaucracies that would be under their control.

The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy. (apocryphal quip)

The head of the civil service promised to clamp down on bureaucracy.

"If we can capture anything from this awful situation, it is that ability to trust people to do certain things for themselves and to look out for each other, and to give them the tools to do their job as well as they can without having to go through endless bureaucracy to achieve it, which very often just delays and dilutes and doesn't add much value.

“If you have rule of the bureaucrat — if the bureaucracy is in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have?” Musk said during his 30-minute appearance with Trump, where he rebuffed critics who said he’s the one undermining democratic institutions.

Synonyms for bureaucracy

Antonyms for bureaucracy

Related Words

Word Forms

• bureaucracies
• bureaucratie
• bureau-ocracy
• burocracy

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions