bureaucracy
bureaucracy Lexical Profile
bureaucracy Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Excessively complicated administrative procedure and rigid adherence to rules, perceived as causing delay or inefficiency.
"Small business owners often complain about the endless bureaucracy required to obtain a building permit."
A system of government or large organizational management in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials or non-elected administrators rather than by elected representatives.
"Modern states rely on a professional bureaucracy to implement laws and manage public services."
The body of officials and administrators who run a government department or large institution.
"The newly elected minister struggled to win the support of the entrenched federal bureaucracy."
• Rhymes for bureaucracy
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 19th century from French bureaucratie, coined by the economist Jacques Claude Marie Vincent de Gournay from bureau ('desk, office', originally a woolen cloth covering a writing desk) and the Greek suffix -kratia ('rule, power').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.