bureaucracy

American  

[byoo-rok-ruh-see] / bjʊˈrɒk rə si /

noun

• bureaucracies
  plural

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.

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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

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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.)

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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.)

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bureaucracies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bureaucracy

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

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Explanation

A bureaucracy is an organization made up of many departments and divisions that are administered by lots of people. If you've ever had to deal with health insurance or financial aid, you're familiar with the dark side of bureaucracy. Bureaucracy has a bad reputation because it has come to mean an organization or government that is chin-deep in red tape and unnecessary procedures. When dealing with a bureaucracy, expect to fill out lots of forms and wait. Bureaucracies are mocked in the hilarious film "Brazil," where people have mind-numbing jobs they do while sitting at desks. Bureaucracy is an organization administered by people behind desks, or bureaus. Bureaus, get it?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bureaucracy bureaucracies

“We’re dealing with the bureaucracy of not knowing quite how all this should be handled.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Certain people have their own little fiefdoms or specific knowledge of how government bureaucracy works, which gives them a leg up in internecine battles.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

But all of that has gone hand-in-hand with persistent complaints about a slow bureaucracy and a dysfunctional city administration which famously took almost 15 years to build an international airport with next-door Brandenburg state.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

In these stories, the machinery of modern bureaucracy has outrun its original purpose and obscured the humanity of the individual in a pile of papers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

For most of its existence a small and contained operation, the NACA’s flagship laboratory was now a many-layered bureaucracy flush with new faces.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

He added that getting the museum done involved dealing with bureaucracies and people with “contrary thinking.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Has the office served its purpose, or has it lingered one bureaucracy layered on top of a bunch of other bureaucracies, as some critics foresaw?

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026

But the US has rejected this stance, with White House technology adviser Michael Kratsios saying: "AI adoption cannot lead to a brighter future if it is subject to bureaucracies and centralised control."

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

They camped out in various bureaucracies, literally sleeping in the office and having food delivered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025

But colleges, particularly small liberal arts colleges like Reed, tend not to be rigid bureaucracies.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

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Related Words

• administration
• authority
• civil service
• management
• ministry
• red tape

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