administrative
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of administrative
From the Latin word administrātīvus, dating back to 1725–35. See administrate, -ive
Explanation
If your job is administrative, you're pretty much limited to paperwork, check-writing, or maybe hiring and firing. Administrative means having to do with overseeing the "office-y" things. An artist doesn't have time for administrative details; they're too busy creating. A successful artist will hire a manager to handle the administrative aspects of his career, such as contacting galleries, setting up shows, and making sure they get paid for their work. People who handle administrative duties are often called bureaucrats, which is typically not a nice name to be called. Sometimes they're called "administrators." Teachers are there to teach; principals have to handle the administrative duties of running a school.
Vocabulary lists containing administrative
Obama's 2013 State of the Union
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Sincerely Sicily
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State and Local Governments, Sections 1–4
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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.
Tumlin was referring to a ruling by an administrative immigration court that was published Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
They live in what is known as Area B, part of the West Bank under Palestinian administrative control and Israeli security control.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Beyond administrative hurdles, students face difficult personal choices, such as family separation and mothers unable to evacuate with their children.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
While the Social Security Administration has already processed most adjustments and issued many retroactive payments, some retirees are still waiting because of administrative backlogs and complex eligibility cases, according to the publication Government Executive.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
From a professor, she learns what happened: Alice, the administrative assistant, had fallen suddenly by the mailboxes.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
