administrative
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of administrative
From the Latin word administrātīvus, dating back to 1725–35. See administrate, -ive
Explanation
If your job is administrative, you're pretty much limited to paperwork, check-writing, or maybe hiring and firing. Administrative means having to do with overseeing the "office-y" things. An artist doesn't have time for administrative details; they're too busy creating. A successful artist will hire a manager to handle the administrative aspects of his career, such as contacting galleries, setting up shows, and making sure they get paid for their work. People who handle administrative duties are often called bureaucrats, which is typically not a nice name to be called. Sometimes they're called "administrators." Teachers are there to teach; principals have to handle the administrative duties of running a school.
Vocabulary lists containing administrative
Obama's 2013 State of the Union
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Sincerely Sicily
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State and Local Governments, Sections 1–4
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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.
Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs, said "the current system can involve significant administrative work that takes time away from patient care".
From BBC • May 20, 2026
However, the ONS warned that revisions are more likely for April given the start of a new tax year, which can lead to underreporting of employment for administrative reasons.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Consequently, heavy research spending and increased administrative costs drove the losses in the latest period.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
But Matthew Szabo, the city administrative officer, said the consequences of L.A. potentially losing its second largest revenue stream would prompt it to immediately declare a fiscal emergency.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
‘Form’ is for him of no use whatever - or rather, the form he resorts to is ever-changing to the point of being quite unlike any of the established, so to speak administrative, forms.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
