noun
-
the outlook or behaviour of officials, esp those rigidly adhering to regulations; bureaucracy
-
officials or bureaucrats collectively
Etymology
Origin of officialdom
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.
And even, to some degree, with the bureaucratic stonewalling they run into constantly, and the seemingly blasé attitude of state officialdom about destroying records on cold cases, or just responding to phone calls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Despite her energetic enquiries to several layers of officialdom within Germany and beyond, Usik says she "hasn't been able to find a solution".
From Barron's ● Feb. 8, 2026
In fact, he believes officialdom in Mexico has deliberately placed obstacles in the relatives’ path to prevent them from reaching the truth.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2024
The modest scale of his work, its whiff of the romantic past, puts it at odds with the epic proportions and air of officialdom of I.M.
From New York Times ● Jan. 15, 2024
They were slow, they were thorough; none of the slapdash arrogance and sudden deviousness that marked Karhidish officialdom.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
