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

This was an utter lie, as German bureaucratic records show. —Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025

The slow pace of bureaucratic oversight seems to have delayed the initial $3 billion Texas was promised. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2025

Republicans once warned that socialism begins with good intentions and ends with bureaucratic command. —Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025

This test—steeped in the texts of the Great Tradition—pushes students and schools to treat assessments not as a bureaucratic hoop or a mechanism of exclusion, but as a gateway to deep, reflective learning and engagement with timeless lessons that form both mind and soul. —MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 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