noun
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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.
Mexican officialdom is well aware that the Mexican economy is kept afloat by a combination of migrant remittances and North American market access.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 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
The RB officially stands for RasenBallsport, rather than the energy drink that bankrolled the team's rise up the leagues, as a concession to officialdom.
From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025
But on the principle that one waits to be asked to join the most exclusive clubs, Seoul officialdom is keeping mum.
From Washington Times • May 18, 2023
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.
