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

The city’s unique pace of regulation, agile visa regimes, and deep integration across sectors from education to manufacturing provide a seamless environment for businesses to pilot, scale, and diversify quickly, often cutting through the bureaucratic inertia found elsewhere. —Abdulla Belhoul, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026

The government said this would lessen the bureaucratic lift for companies and address concerns firms have expressed about being put at a commercial disadvantage to competitors due to their social and environmental performance. —Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 3 Feb. 2026

Repression takes bureaucratic rather than overtly brutal form. —Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026

The steep price of passing through the crossing coupled with lengthy bureaucratic and security processes mean few Palestinians can realistically expect to leave. —Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 2026

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