bureaucratic

adjective

bu·​reau·​crat·​ic ˌbyu̇r-ə-ˈkra-tik 

ˌbyər-

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a bureaucracy or a bureaucrat

bureaucratic government

a bureaucratic organization

bureaucratic procedures

bureaucratically

ˌbyu̇r-ə-ˈkra-ti-k(ə-)lē 

ˌbyər-

adverb

Examples of bureaucratic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Local governments were handed extraordinary funding and broad flexibility to bypass traditional bureaucratic hurdles in the name of speed and compassion. —Michele Steeb, Oc Register, 10 June 2026

Efforts to introduce new sunscreen products have been bogged down for decades by the FDA's bureaucratic system for updating its lists of safe nonprescription drug ingredients. —CBS News, 9 June 2026

Drastic changes have instead come via executive orders, bureaucratic regulations, and technocratic maneuvers. —Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 7 June 2026

Making federal rules can take months of debate in humdrum bureaucratic processes. —ABC News, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French bureaucratique, from bureaucrate bureaucrat or bureaucratie bureaucracy + -ique -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bureaucratic

• anti-bureaucratic

Rhymes for bureaucratic

• adiabatic
• aristocratic
• asymptomatic
• axiomatic
• diagrammatic
• diaphragmatic
• electrostatic
• endolymphatic
• epigrammatic
• homeostatic
• idiomatic
• magnetostatic

Kids Definition

bureaucratic

adjective

bu·​reau·​crat·​ic ˌbyu̇r-ə-ˈkrat-ik 

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a bureaucracy or bureaucrat

bureaucratically

-ˈkrat-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb