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

From painting the most famous person in the world, truly infamous, then turning into this space in the heart of New York, which is the story of the immigrant within this bureaucratic building. —Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 19 Dec. 2025

As such, today’s federal blows come as bureaucratic hurdles over the years have meant large numbers of people eligible for assistance already don’t receive it, lawmakers and a CalFresh recipient and university student said. —Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 18 Dec. 2025

Further, production may stall while competing regulatory bodies in Washington and Europe play out their bureaucratic rituals. —Peter Bart, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2025

The titular story is about an assassin who is having an extremely bureaucratic exchange with a recruit, explaining to him how best to arrange a tableau of dead bodies for maximum aesthetic effect. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025

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