bureaucratese

American  

[byoor-uh-kra-teez, -tees, byoo-rok-ruh-] / ˌbyʊər ə kræˈtiz, -ˈtis, byʊˌrɒk rə- /

noun

1. a style of language, used especially by bureaucrats, that is full of circumlocutions, euphemisms, buzzwords, abstractions, etc.

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Etymology

Origin of bureaucratese

bureaucrat + -ese

Example Sentences

It doesn't take a doctorate in bureaucratese to interpret this.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2025

Under the law, the State Department must make sure that foreign military units don’t commit “gross violations of human rights,” or GVHRs in bureaucratese, before they receive aid.

From Washington Post • Mar. 29, 2019

Hovering over modern discussions of usage is the spectre of George Orwell, whose essay “Politics and the English Language” challenged the degeneracy of bureaucratese.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 30, 2019

A blown-up “Abuse Report” translates petty art-world grievances into the bureaucratese of a government complaint.

From New York Times • Nov. 1, 2018

The bland bureaucratese of an April 2004 report by the General Accounting Office did not hide harsh conclusions: Overseas missions were draining the guard of its troops, particularly in expert specialties.

From Slate • Sep. 7, 2016