as in governmental
of, relating to, or like a nonelective government official or body of government officials
a bureaucratic institution bureaucratic procedures
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Recent Examples of bureaucratic
Certainly the humdrum of legislation or bureaucratic rule-marking is nothing like the gossipy speculation about who may or may not bid to lead California as its 41st governor.
—
Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
New York City’s redesigned outdoor dining program is too expensive and too bureaucratic for many small, diverse, neighborhood establishments across the five boroughs to participate in.
—Andrew Rigie, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
But funding shortfalls, bureaucratic hurdles and the Covid-19 pandemic all contributed, too.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 1 Jan. 2026
Starmer celebrated the bureaucratic machinations of this case—granting automatic citizenship by descent and then securing the end of Abd el-Fattah’s travel ban—without enough attention to the politics.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bureaucratic
Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
New York City’s redesigned outdoor dining program is too expensive and too bureaucratic for many small, diverse, neighborhood establishments across the five boroughs to participate in.
—Andrew Rigie, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
But funding shortfalls, bureaucratic hurdles and the Covid-19 pandemic all contributed, too.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 1 Jan. 2026
Starmer celebrated the bureaucratic machinations of this case—granting automatic citizenship by descent and then securing the end of Abd el-Fattah’s travel ban—without enough attention to the politics.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bureaucratic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bureaucratic
Adjective
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In 1788, when the Constitution was ratified, the new US governmental framework famously included a clause in its First Amendment to prevent any laws that infringed on the freedom of the press.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Nov. 2025
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What Rokita alleges in lawsuit The lawsuit argues that IPS’s policies violate Indiana law, which prohibits governmental bodies from enacting a resolution or policy that restricts employees from communicating or cooperating with federal officials about someone’s citizenship or immigration status.—
Caroline Beck,
IndyStar,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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After some years of power-sharing, Khan fell out of favor with the military establishment and was ousted from office after a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022.—
Rafia Zakaria,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared in the House of Commons to support the idea of a parliamentary inquiry into Andrew's financial arrangements at his home, Royal Lodge.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Relief also came for DHS employees on Thursday when it was announced that USDA will provide administrative funding for the SNAP program, meaning the state won't furlough 1,500 employees in its Division of County Operations on Friday.—
Daniel McFadin,
Arkansas Online,
7 Nov. 2025
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An administrative fee paid by the data centers and other large-energy-usage customers .—
Keith Matheny,
Freep.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bureaucratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bureaucratic. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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