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

According to then-City Council Member and chair of the task force Will Wynn, the effort yielded three initiatives for nurturing live music, film and technology in Austin, reducing bureaucratic hurdles for businesses and creating standardized incentives to attract major employers to the city. —Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 16 Mar. 2026

Supporters of the legislation, among them LaMark Muir, said bureaucratic delays in approving permits to apply herbicide has weakened eradication efforts. —Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026

Presley, a former council member in Greenwood Village, helped Goldberg navigate bureaucratic hurdles to get a traffic light installed. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 14 Mar. 2026

In Cuba’s highly bureaucratic system, laws and regulations approved by the government have sometimes taken months, and even years, to be fully implemented. —Andrés Viglucci, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 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