bureaucratese
noun
bu·reau·crat·ese
ˌbyu̇r-ə-(ˌ)kra-ˈtēz 
-ˈtēs,
ˌbyər-
: a style of language held to be characteristic of bureaucrats and marked by abstractions, jargon, euphemisms, and circumlocutions
Examples of bureaucratese in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Details of new initiatives were bogged down by mind-numbing bureaucratese.
—
Sharon Grigsby, Dallas News, 11 Apr. 2023
The most striking aspect of Putin’s failure to accept responsibility for the Kursk disaster was his retreat into bureaucratese.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2020
As reporter Alfonso Chardy noted at the time, the facility’s mental health treatment center—known in placid bureaucratese as the Krome Transitional Unit (KTU)—had never before been shown to the media.
—Ken Silverstein, The New Republic, 19 Aug. 2019
In that sense, the beige tone of Mr. Mueller’s report — that desiccating bureaucratese denying the events their juice and soundbite-ability — is something of a radical act in this day and age.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 25 June 2019
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Sharon Grigsby, Dallas News, 11 Apr. 2023
The most striking aspect of Putin’s failure to accept responsibility for the Kursk disaster was his retreat into bureaucratese.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2020
As reporter Alfonso Chardy noted at the time, the facility’s mental health treatment center—known in placid bureaucratese as the Krome Transitional Unit (KTU)—had never before been shown to the media.
—Ken Silverstein, The New Republic, 19 Aug. 2019
In that sense, the beige tone of Mr. Mueller’s report — that desiccating bureaucratese denying the events their juice and soundbite-ability — is something of a radical act in this day and age.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 25 June 2019
Cite this Entry
“Bureaucratese.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bureaucratese. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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