technocrat

noun tech·no·crat \ ˈtek-nə-ˌkrat \

|Updated on: 5 Jun 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of technocrat

1 : an adherent of technocracy

2 : a technical expert; especially : one exercising managerial authority

See technocrat defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of technocrat from the Web

After rejecting Conte's first attempt, Mattarella tapped a former International Monetary Fund official to head a possible interim government of technocrats to see Italy through to an early election.

— colleen barry, The Christian Science Monitor, "Italy forms western Europe's first populist government," 1 June 2018
Ciudadanos wanted to force Mr. Rajoy to either call a snap election or get Parliament to approve an interim administration of technocrats — rather than a Socialist government — before an election later this year.

— New York Times, "In Spain, Mariano Rajoy’s Government Veers Toward Collapse," 30 May 2018
Sadr refashioned his public image by embracing reforms calling for technocrat ministers to replace a cabinet stocked with appointees based on sect and party.

— Washington Post, "Surprise showing by maverick cleric could shake up Iraq’s relations with the U.S.," 15 May 2018
Sadr refashioned his public image by embracing reforms calling for technocrat ministers to replace a cabinet stocked with appointees based on sect and party.

— tamer el-ghobashy and mustafa salim, chicagotribune.com, "Maverick cleric's election upset could rattle U.S.-Iraq relations," 14 May 2018
Jonathan Chait, for instance, is a liberal technocrat, nostalgic for the certitude of Cold War liberalism and adept at writing forcefully wonkish briefs for Democratic Party policies on health care and economic policy.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "The Centrist Grievance Against “Victim Politics”," 7 May 2018
Among them are entrepreneur Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary’s business empire and businesses connected to Daim Zainuddin, a veteran businessman and technocrat who Dr. Mahathir appointed to a panel of advisers on Saturday.

— james hookway, WSJ, "AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes Apologizes for Malaysia Election Video," 13 May 2018
He's seen as an urbane technocrat who has maintained good relations with Washington and Tehran.

— Fox News, "Iraqi vote offers chance to chart post-IS future," 8 May 2018
Some Republicans, like the minister of finance, are simply technocrats with valuable skill in managing problems like the economy.

— matthew bodner, The New Republic, "Armenia Is Breaking the Post-Soviet Mold," 4 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'technocrat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

In 1919 W. H. Smyth coined the term technocracy to mean basically "management of society by technical experts". Technocracy grew into a movement during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when politicians and financial institutions were being blamed for the economic disaster, and fans of technocracy claimed that letting technical experts manage the country would be a great improvement. (They also suggested that dollars could be replaced by "energy certificates" representing energy units called ergs.) Today technocrat and technocratic are still popular words for experts with a highly rational and scientific approach to public policy issues. But these experts aren't always the best politicians, and when a terrific technological solution to a problem is opposed by a powerful group or industry, lawmakers find it easier to just ignore it.