Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

bureaucracy

American  
[byoo-rok-ruh-see] / byʊˈrɒk rə si /

noun

plural

bureaucracies

  1. government by many bureaus, administrators, and petty officials.

  2. the body of officials and administrators, especially of a government or government department.

  3. excessive multiplication of, and concentration of power in, administrative bureaus or administrators.

  4. administration characterized by excessive red tape and routine.

bureaucracy British  
/ bjʊəˈrɒkrəsɪ /

noun

  1. a system of administration based upon organization into bureaus, division of labour, a hierarchy of authority, etc: designed to dispose of a large body of work in a routine manner

  2. government by such a system

  3. government or other officials collectively

  4. any administration in which action is impeded by unnecessary official procedures and red tape

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
bureaucracy Cultural  

  1. A formal, hierarchical organization with many levels in which tasks, responsibilities, and authority are delegated among individuals, offices, or departments, held together by a central administration. According to many sociologists and anthropologists, the development of bureaucratic organizations is necessary for the emergence of any modern civilization. (See Max Weber.)

Discover More

Today, the term bureaucracy suggests a lack of initiative, excessive adherence to rules and routine, red tape (see also red tape), inefficiency, or, even more serious, an impersonal force dominating the lives of individuals. (See Big Brother is watching you.)

Etymology

Origin of bureaucracy

First recorded in 1810–20; bureau + -cracy, modeled on French bureaucratie

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Every additional body that you throw at a problem adds more process, more bureaucracy, more politics, more inefficiency, more coordination.”

From The Wall Street Journal

That there was complacency and lack of focus in the bureaucracy is incontestable.

From Salon

The funny thing is that even Stanton found the bureaucracy all a bit too much.

From The Wall Street Journal

Characters on “The Pitt” and “St. Denis Medical” contend with similar frustrations, demonstrating that needless bureaucracy is bad for everybody’s health.

From Salon

In early 2025, Bisha agreed to lend her face and voice to a virtual assistant for an online government services portal -- aimed at helping people navigate bureaucracy.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.