bureaucrat

American  

[byoor-uh-krat] / ˈbyʊər əˌkræt /

noun

1. an official of a bureaucracy.

2. an official who works by fixed routine without exercising intelligent judgment.

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bureaucrat British  

/ ˈbjʊərəˌkræt, bjʊəˈrɒkrəˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. an official in a bureaucracy

2. an official who adheres to bureaucracy, esp rigidly

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bureaucrat Cultural  

1. Someone who works in or controls a bureaucracy. The term is often used negatively to describe a petty, narrow-minded person. (See also conformity and organization man (see also organization man).)

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Other Word Forms

• bureaucratism noun

Etymology

Origin of bureaucrat

From the French word bureaucrate, dating back to 1835–45. See bureau, -crat

Example Sentences

“For the first time, it became less about bureaucrats and more about larger strategic issues,” Ms. Mohan says in a phone interview from Brussels.

From The Wall Street Journal

He isn’t a bureaucrat who can simply be swapped for another.

From The Wall Street Journal

The future of the chief information officer was once in doubt, the role cast as a bureaucrat destined to be replaced by someone, anyone.

From The Wall Street Journal

It continued: “Independent grocers are proud economic drivers, creating local jobs and generating tax revenue, but they need certainty and common sense, not more costly red tape handed down by bureaucrats.”

From Salon

Just silver, sitting there, quietly appreciating while bureaucrats in Beijing shuffle export applications into the “pending” pile.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• administrator
• civil servant
• functionary
• politician
• public servant