bureaucracy

noun bu·reau·cra·cy \ byu̇-ˈrä-krə-sē , byə- , byər-ˈä- \

Updated on: 29 Dec 2017

Definition of bureaucracy

plural bureaucracies

1 a : a body of nonelective government officials

b : an administrative policy-making group

2 : government characterized by specialization of functions, adherence to fixed rules, and a hierarchy of authority

3 : a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation

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Examples of bureaucracy in a Sentence

As Europe slipped deeper into the war, the uranium panel twiddled its thumbs. It was so mired in bureaucracy that by the spring of 1940, it had managed to approve only the $6,000 in research funds earmarked for Fermi and Szilard, so they could purchase uranium and graphite for their fission experiments. —Jennet Conant, Tuxedo Park, 2002
In recent books and articles a small but outspoken chorus of former CIA case officers has portrayed the once proudly swashbuckling agency as a timid, politically correct bureaucracy, overly concerned with being held to account by the press and Capitol Hill. —Evan Thomas, Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2002
Proving that even lumbering federal bureaucracies can move quickly when they have to, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) last week took advantage of Congress' extended holiday break to introduce its long-awaited—and, perhaps, long-dreaded—ergonomic standards. —Editor & Publisher, 27 Nov. 1999
She was fed up with all the red tape and bureaucracy.
Both candidates pledge to simplify the state's bloated bureaucracy.

Recent Examples of bureaucracy from the Web

The timeline involving the Oasis cheese products is particularly jarring with its tick tock of bureaucracy and fatality.

— jayne o'donnell, USA TODAY, "Inspector general report: FDA food recalls dangerously slow, procedures deeply flawed," 26 Dec. 2017
Here, unlike the movie or publishing businesses, the distance between those aspiring to make something and those deciding what gets made isn't so vast and riddled with bureaucracies and middlemen.

— maya dukmasova, Chicago Reader, "An ear to the ground at the Third Coast International Audio Festival," 13 Dec. 2017
Pentagon leaders delayed implementation of Trump’s tweet, seeking clarification, and then set in motion the slow, grinding machinery of bureaucracy and litigation.

— phillip carter, Slate Magazine, "Military Chiefs’ Reluctance to March," 12 Dec. 2017
In many ways, the Comfort’s story is that of the wobbly recovery effort in Puerto Rico, in which attempts to bolster vital services have often fallen flat or become entangled in bureaucracy and politics.

— frances robles and sheri fink, New York Times, "Amid Puerto Rico Disaster, Hospital Ship Admitted Just 6 Patients a Day," 6 Dec. 2017
Click to Read Story Love at First Sight: Retiring in Italy Yes, the bureaucracy can be maddening.

— julie halpert, WSJ, "Ready to Downsize? There’s Plenty of Help," 13 Nov. 2017
The bureaucracy of wildlife management is part oxymoron, part paradox.

— ben huberman, Longreads, "An Oregon Wolf, Profiled," 4 Nov. 2017
The bureaucracy is shell-shocked and demoralized; the State Department is a wasteland; the press has sunk even further into public disdain.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "This Is What the Trump Abyss Looks Like," 27 Oct. 2017
The crux of the problem is that bureaucracies are notoriously hard to kill or change.

— amy zegart, The Atlantic, "Trump Isn't the Only Problem with Trump's Foreign Policy," 23 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bureaucracy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Roots of bureaucracy

Bureaucracy was borrowed from the French bureaucratie, which itself was formed by combining bureau (“desk”) and -cratie (a suffix denoting a kind of government). The English word can refer to an entire body of unelected government officials or to the problematic system (often filled with red tape) that may result from administration by bureaucrats. From its earliest appearances, bureaucracy has carried a distinctly negative connotation. An 1815 London Times article, for example, declares: “. . . it is in this bureaucracy, Gentlemen, that you will find the invisible and mischievous power which thwarts the most noble views, and prevents or weakens the effect of all the salutary reforms which France is incessantly calling for.”

Origin and Etymology of bureaucracy

borrowed from French bureaucratie, from bureau bureau + -cratie -cracy

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First Known Use: 1815

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BUREAUCRACY Defined for English Language Learners

bureaucracy

noun

Definition of bureaucracy for English Language Learners

: a large group of people who are involved in running a government but who are not elected
: a system of government or business that has many complicated rules and ways of doing things

Learn More about bureaucracy

See words that rhyme with bureaucracy Spanish Central: Translation of bureaucracy Nglish: Translation of bureaucracy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of bureaucracy for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bureaucracy

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