bureaucrat
noun
Did you know?
In French, a bureau is a desk, so bureaucracy means basically "government by people at desks". Despite the bad-mouthing they often get, partly because they usually have to stick so close to the rules, bureaucrats do almost all the day-to-day work that keeps a government running. The idea of a bureaucracy is to split up the complicated task of governing a large country into smaller jobs that can be handled by specialists. Bureaucratic government is nothing new; the Roman empire had an enormous and complex bureaucracy, with the bureaucrats at lower levels reporting to bureaucrats above them, and so on up to the emperor himself.
Synonyms of bureaucrat
Examples of bureaucrat in a Sentence
Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
These elders privately consulted with leading officials, military commanders, and senior bureaucrats to guide their decision-making and, at times, signal their disapproval.
—Deng Yuwen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
Instead, Karp insists Palantir’s software is built for the welder, the truck driver, the factory technician, and the soldier—not the surveillance bureaucrat.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2025
Van Epps’ professional life outside the military has been primarily as a state government bureaucrat.
—Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bureaucrat
Cite this Entry
“Bureaucrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bureaucrat. Accessed 24 Nov. 2025.
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bureaucrat
noun
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