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

Graham credited the Trump administration with helping cut through bureaucratic red tape that often slows recovery efforts in disaster zones. —Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025

Previously, these issues were handled through slow bureaucratic processes. —Dmitrii Khasanov, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025

Best available science has given way to bureaucratic delays, power struggles and competing political interests, argued lead author Kelly Dunning, who heads the University of Wyoming’s Wildlife & Wilderness Recreation Lab. —Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2025

But when visitors are told that Washington’s reaction has largely been bureaucratic and indifferent, their incredulity only grows. —U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025

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