bureaucracy

[byoo-rok-ruh-see]

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

/ 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

bureaucracy

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.)

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.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of bureaucracy¹

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

Example Sentences

The White House framed the move as a necessary step to “restore accountability” and eliminate “politically motivated obstruction” within the federal bureaucracy.

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It is made possible by the scale, anonymity and bureaucracy of industry and government.

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Add “therapists who help patients through dolphin encounters” to the federal bureaucracy’s list of societal outlaws.

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Crucial contracts and grants haven’t been approved, caught up in layers of new bureaucracy.

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“We had to fight misogyny, paternalism, bureaucracy, and other significant barriers to be taken seriously,” Xenarios and Anderson later wrote.

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Related Words

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