bureaucrat
Americannoun
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an official of a bureaucracy.
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an official who works by fixed routine without exercising intelligent judgment.
noun
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an official in a bureaucracy
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an official who adheres to bureaucracy, esp rigidly
Other Word Forms
- bureaucratism noun
Etymology
Origin of bureaucrat
From the French word bureaucrate, dating back to 1835–45. See bureau, -crat
Explanation
A bureaucrat is an administrative official who works for the government. You brought the budget office bureaucrat a book about literacy, hoping to convince him you need more funding for the library. The word bureaucrat comes from bureaucracy, which means a system of government where state officials make decisions instead of elected ones. In America, bureaucrat often has a negative ring to it because some people think they make procedures too complicated and time-consuming — driving people crazy but ensuring they, the bureaucrats, stay busy processing it.
Vocabulary lists containing bureaucrat
This Week in Words: August 25 - 31, 2018
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President Obama's Speech on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
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The Boy on the Wooden Box
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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.
Filmmaker Gabriel Mascaro is just over 42, young enough to think like this bathroom-fixated bureaucrat who doesn’t seem to think getting old will happen to them either.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
But in 2021, a low-level National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration bureaucrat banned anyone from swimming within 50 yards of Hawaiian spinner dolphins.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
While some prominent Taliban fighters and leaders were sent to Guantanamo, Halimi, as a relatively unknown bureaucrat, was part of a group that was gradually let out.
From Salon • Aug. 24, 2025
But now earnings from years of service are yanked away at the whim of a bureaucrat.
From Slate • Aug. 20, 2025
Bloom wasn’t just a terrorizing demon; he was also a bureaucrat at the mercy of paperwork.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
