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bureaucratese

American  
[byoor-uh-kra-teez, -tees, byoo-rok-ruh-] / ˌbjʊər ə kræˈtiz, -ˈtis, bjʊˌrɒk rə- /

noun

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


Etymology

Origin of bureaucratese

bureaucrat + -ese


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.

See Examples For:

In translation, that's bureaucratese for widespread trauma to come.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2023

His hollow apologies and empty promises to improve processes were the worst kind of mealy-mouthed bureaucratese.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2021

She walks out some hours later with a traumatized expression on her face, after flailing in a sea of incomprehensible bureaucratese, unable to extract a single coherent thought from her notes.

From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2020

Viewers in the late Soviet era had become accustomed to a heavy lexicon of bureaucratese and boosterism that verged on the absurd.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 9, 2019

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

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