bureaucratic
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bureaucratic
From the French word bureaucratique, dating back to 1830–40. See bureaucrat, -ic
Explanation
Anything bureaucratic has to do with the business of running an organization — usually not in a very efficient manner. If there are bureaucrats or a bureaucracy involved, go ahead and call it bureaucratic. This adjective is used in a negative sense to describe a person or organization more concerned with following procedures than being guided by common sense. Bureaucratic things usually involve loads of paperwork and nonsensical rules, otherwise known as "red tape" — a connection that originated in the 17th century when official documents were bound together with actual red tape.
Vocabulary lists containing bureaucratic
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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.
Eventually, he gave up the attempted name change due to bureaucratic hurdles.
From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026
“An officer could simply invent an accusation of criminality, leaving the green-card holder trapped in a bureaucratic twilight zone for years before they have a chance to rebut the accusation at a hearing,” Mark writes.
From Slate • Jun. 25, 2026
Earlier this year Greece's tourism minister said she did not want visitors to be "burdened" by bureaucratic procedures when entering or leaving the country.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
Today, ambitious rookies aren’t constrained by bureaucratic red tape or the strictures of office hierarchy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2026
“Without his gifts as a bureaucratic finagler, the shows just wouldn’t have got on. I owe him much. Leave it at that.”
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
