administrative

adjective

ad·​min·​is·​tra·​tive əd-ˈmi-nə-ˌstrā-tiv 

-strə-

: of or relating to administration or an administration : relating to the management of a company, school, or other organization

administrative tasks/duties/responsibilities

administrative expenses/costs

a hospital's administrative staff

… these schools are given wide latitude in creating their teaching programs as long as they meet certain academic standards; they are also freed from many of the administrative and hiring rules governing traditional public schools.

—Suzanna Andrews

Synonyms

• managerial

Examples of administrative in a Sentence

She has an administrative job.

among his other administrative duties is the appointment of transit authority officials

Recent Examples on the Web

Tarleton State men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie has been placed on temporary administrative leave following an anonymous complaint, the school announced in a statement on Friday. —Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025

Babb is on unpaid administrative leave, said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Katy Goodson. —Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2025

The Corrections Department budget increases wages for corrections officers but also makes tens of millions of dollars in cuts by eliminating programs and administrative costs and funding for positions that have not been filled. —Paul Egan, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025

At the end of September, the school board voted to place him on administrative leave. —Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

administr(ation) + -ative

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing administrative

• administrative county
• administrative law

Rhymes for administrative

• accommodative
• accumulative
• adjudicative
• agglutinative
• ameliorative
• appreciative
• assimilative
• associative
• authoritative
• collaborative
• cooperative
• deliberative

Kids Definition

administrative

adjective

ad·​min·​is·​tra·​tive əd-ˈmin-ə-ˌstrāt-iv 

-strət-

: of or relating to administration

an administrative position

Legal Definition

administrative

adjective

ad·​min·​i·​stra·​tive əd-ˈmi-nə-ˌstrā-tiv 

1

: of or relating to the performance of a function : ministerial

administrative communications include…instructions that encourage a jury to continue its deliberations

—National Law Journal

2

: of or relating to the executive branch of a government compare legislative, judicial

3

: of or relating to a government agency

administrative remedies