administrative

adjective

ad·​min·​is·​tra·​tive əd-ˈmi-nə-ˌstrā-tiv 

-strə-

: of or relating to administration or an administration : relating to the management of a company, school, or other organization

administrative tasks/duties/responsibilities

administrative expenses/costs

a hospital's administrative staff

… these schools are given wide latitude in creating their teaching programs as long as they meet certain academic standards; they are also freed from many of the administrative and hiring rules governing traditional public schools.

—Suzanna Andrews

Synonyms of administrative

• managerial

Examples of administrative in a Sentence

She has an administrative job.

among his other administrative duties is the appointment of transit authority officials

Recent Examples on the Web

As part of this transition, the financial and administrative responsibilities of the role will be separated. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 June 2026

However, retirees who find themselves in this situation may face temporary disruptions, administrative hurdles or legal challenges when accessing their money. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 9 June 2026

The other 10% will fund the administrative overhead, data tracking and technical training required to keep the TIA system running. —Samuel O’Neal 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 June 2026

Penalty cancellation requests must be submitted anytime before June 30, 2030; however, base taxes must be paid by the same time to avoid penalties, said Vibiana Navarro, administrative deputy for the county treasurer and tax collector. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

administr(ation) + -ative

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing administrative

• administrative county
• administrative law

Rhymes for administrative

• accommodative
• accumulative
• adjudicative
• affiliative
• agglutinative
• ameliorative
• appreciative
• assimilative
• associative
• authoritative
• collaborative
• cooperative

Kids Definition

administrative

adjective

ad·​min·​is·​tra·​tive əd-ˈmin-ə-ˌstrāt-iv 

-strət-

: of or relating to administration

an administrative position

Legal Definition

administrative

adjective

ad·​min·​i·​stra·​tive əd-ˈmi-nə-ˌstrā-tiv 

1

: of or relating to the performance of a function : ministerial

administrative communications include…instructions that encourage a jury to continue its deliberations

—National Law Journal

2

: of or relating to the executive branch of a government compare legislative, judicial

3

: of or relating to a government agency

administrative remedies