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bureaucracy

[ byoo-rok-ruh-see ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural bureaucracies.

government by many bureaus, administrators, and petty officials.
the body of officials and administrators, especially of a government or government department.
excessive multiplication of, and concentration of power in, administrative bureaus or administrators.
administration characterized by excessive red tape and routine.

bureaucracy

/ ��ʊəˈ��ɒ��ə��ɪ /

noun

a system of administration based upon organization into bureaus, division of labour, a hierarchy of authority, etc: designed to dispose of a large body of work in a routine manner
government by such a system
government or other officials collectively
any administration in which action is impeded by unnecessary official procedures and red tape

bureaucracy

A formal, hierarchical organization with many levels in which tasks, responsibilities, and authority are delegated among individuals, offices, or departments, held together by a central administration. According to many sociologists and anthropologists, the development of bureaucratic organizations is necessary for the emergence of any modern civilization. ( See Max Weber .)

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Notes

Today, the term bureaucracy suggests a lack of initiative, excessive adherence to rules and routine, red tape (see also red tape ), inefficiency, or, even more serious, an impersonal force dominating the lives of individuals. ( See Big Brother is watching you .)

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bureaucracy¹

First recorded in 1810–20; bureau + -cracy, modeled on French bureaucratie

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In January the country's new Communist party chief, To Lam, embarked on a program to slash bureaucracy that could impress Elon Musk, who has been overseeing the Trump administration's controversial cost-cutting team.

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The walls of these rooms accomplish a kind of muting of her aura, a place where veneration feels austere or regimented by bureaucracy.

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"This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy," Musk exclaimed.

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And for decades, every attempt to create legal access has foundered on the rocky shoals of property rights and lumbering bureaucracy.

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There is already much speculation about whom the cardinals will select and whether that new pope will continue Francis’ pastoral priorities of concern for the poor and reform of the Vatican bureaucracy.

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Related Words

bureau bureaucrat

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