administrative
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- administratively adverb
- nonadministrative adjective
- nonadministratively adverb
- preadministrative adjective
- subadministrative adjective
- subadministratively adverb
- unadministrative adjective
- unadministratively adverb
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.
Machado was placed on administrative leave following the violent July 1 explosion, which was felt by residents up to 20 miles away, destroyed a family farm and sparked a 78-acre grass fire.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
Levies would depend on the size of the ships and bundle basic transit fees, security escort charges and administrative processing fees.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
From there, they report, the administration moved to dismantle key access infrastructure, rolling back administrative improvements that had reduced barriers, expanded language access and improved cross-enrollment systems.
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026
Half of our administrative discussions were focused around how to limit A.I.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
Please fill in the following information and return to Jessie Jane, Miss Teen Dream Pageant administrative assistant, before Monday.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
