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Bureaucracy

/bjʊəˈɹɒkɹəsi/

Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.

Full Dictionary Entry

📖 Definitions of "Bureaucracy"

noun

1
Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.
2
(organizational theory) A system of administration based upon organisation into bureaus, division of labour, a hierarchy of authority, etc., designed to dispose of a large body of work in a routine manner.
"At that time the administration replaced the system of patronage in the civil service with a bureaucracy."
3
The body of officers and administrators, especially of a government.
"The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy. (apocryphal quip)"
4
Excessive red tape and routine in any administration, body or behaviour.
"The head of the civil service promised to clamp down on bureaucracy."

🔄 Synonyms of "Bureaucracy"

1 synonyms found via WordNet and Google Books.

Word	Definition
bureaucratismnoun	Bureaucratic policies or behaviour.

💡 Words with a Similar Meaning to "Bureaucracy"

Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.

Word	Definition
bureaucratismnoun	Bureaucratic policies or behaviour.
bureaucratic	Of or pertaining to bureaucracy or the actions of bureaucrats.
bureaucratizationnoun	The formation of, or the conversion of something into, a bureaucracy.
bureaucratisationnoun	Alternative spelling of bureaucratization. [The formation of, or the conversion of something into, a bureaucracy.]
bureaucratnoun	An official who is part of a bureaucracy.
officialdomnoun	The people elected to government or employed in the civil service.
administrative	Of or relating to administering or administration.
administrationnoun	(uncountable) The act of administering; government of public affairs; the service rendered, or duties assumed, in conducting affairs; the conducting of any office or employment; direction.
paperworknoun	(uncountable) Routine work involving written documents.
tapenoun	Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape.
directorsnoun	One who directs; the person in charge of managing a department or directorate (e.g., director of engineering), project, or production (as in a show or film, e.g., film director).
red-tapenoun	—
red tapenoun	(metonymic, idiomatic) Time-consuming regulations or bureaucratic procedures.
hierarchynoun	A social, religious, economic or political system or organization in which people or groups of people are ranked with some superior to others based on their status, authority or some other trait.
public administrationnoun	the implementation of public policy by governmental bodies; the administration of governmental functions; the administration of a state.
civil servicenoun	The body of civilian employees of any level of government, not subject to political appointment and removal, normally hired and promoted largely on the basis of competitive examination.
public servicenoun	(countable) A service such as health care, transport, or waste removal provided to the general public, often by the government.
governing body	A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity.
state apparatus	—
burocracynoun	(US) Alternative spelling of bureaucracy. [Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.]