technocrat

noun

tech·​no·​crat ˈtek-nə-ˌkrat 

1

: an adherent of technocracy

2

: a technical expert

especially : one exercising managerial authority

Did you know?

In 1919 W. H. Smyth coined the term technocracy to mean basically "management of society by technical experts". Technocracy grew into a movement during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when politicians and financial institutions were being blamed for the economic disaster, and fans of technocracy claimed that letting technical experts manage the country would be a great improvement. (They also suggested that dollars could be replaced by "energy certificates" representing energy units called ergs.) Today technocrat and technocratic are still popular words for experts with a highly rational and scientific approach to public policy issues. But these experts aren't always the best politicians, and when a terrific technological solution to a problem is opposed by a powerful group or industry, lawmakers find it easier to just ignore it.

Examples of technocrat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The loss of sovereignty to an obscure center of power in Brussels, manned by technocrats, doesn’t sit well with many Europeans either. —Matina Stevis-Gridneff, New York Times, 7 June 2024

Other top technocrats with a say over economic policy are far more in sync with the warmongering of the Russian leader. —Rachel Ventresca, Fortune Europe, 7 June 2024

In Putin's Russia, the main arbiter is the state, controlled by the former Cold War spies and technocrats in his entourage. —Fox News, 7 June 2024

In Helmand, the Marines and the British pushed for the good governance prescribed by COIN, successfully pressuring Kabul to replace corrupt officials with technocrats. —Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

techno- + -crat, after technocracy

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined at sense 1