Definition of bureaucratnext
as in clerk
a worker in a government agency the bureaucrats at the town hall seem to think that we need a building permit to build a tree house

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bureaucrat Playing fast and loose with federal funds could reflect an issue within a singular agency — inadequate leadership, bad direction or rogue bureaucrats, for example. Steve Arentz, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026 Trump is the one person who can stop this proposal with one word to the federal bureaucrats who put forth this plan. Shane Weddle, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026 Congress should focus on lowering health care costs and expanding access in ways that help patients first, not big insurance companies or bureaucrats. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026 Chief among the latter is his region’s unnamed UNO (Upazila Nirbahi Officer), a wily mid-level bureaucrat who presents herself as Jahir’s direct line to the big guns, and persistently pulls rank on him with a disarming megawatt smile. Guy Lodge, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bureaucrat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bureaucrat
Noun
  • Moriarty does part-time seasonal election work for the clerk’s office and has worked various positions such as election judge and field tech.
    Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
  • This is an election year for some county commissioners, clerks, treasurers, assessors and coroners in Ada and Canyon counties.
    Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The money to transform the website came from capital improvement projects, but officials could not answer questions about specific bonds or other funding sources used for the project.
    Chaya Tong, Austin American Statesman, 19 Mar. 2026
  • The official was noncommittal about whether the administration would continue to negotiate over arrests without judicial warrants.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • More than funding, though, is needed transparency by IDNR functionaries with marina boaters and Winthrop Harbor officials.
    Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Their prestige suffers because it is conflated in the public’s mind with long lines at the DMV, fastidious building inspectors, parking tickets—the stuff of local functionaries.
    Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Videos and photos from the scene showed thick gray smoke billowing from the complex and some workers jumping from a building.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Mar. 2026
  • The need for the factory, the Navy explains, is a major labor shortage for key skills like welding, precision machining workers, and other specialist engineers.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 21 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Even higher-profile employees-turned-critics were ex-Defense Secretary James Mattis and former White House chief of staff John Kelly.
    Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
  • State employees were granted a day off and schools were required to teach students about his legacy and his involvement in the labor movement in California.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bureaucrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bureaucrat. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.

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