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

Key questions remain about how the Mamdani administration plans to operationalize the program, many of which were voiced during a City Council hearing Monday — from hiring enough teachers to cutting through bureaucratic red tape. —Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026

The city's recent decision to classify downtown's Lugar Plaza as a park might seem like a minor bureaucratic tweak. —Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 3 Mar. 2026

However media organizations have failed to keep up, with bureaucratic dysfunction and tighter political controls marking major roadblocks for Chinese firms. —Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 2 Mar. 2026

Federal obstruction of unannounced congressional inspections combined with resistance to mandatory California health inspections reveals something deeper than bureaucratic friction. —Dave Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 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