What does "bureaucracy" mean?
Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.
Bureaucracy
/bjʊəˈɹɒk.ɹə.si/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.
- Grammar: bureaucracy is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: administration, administration, administrative matters, administrative process.
- Useful contrasts: managerial leadership, autonomy, commandoes.
- Usage evidence: The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of an expanding bureaucracy.
How to use "bureaucracy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bureaucracy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bureaucracy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bureaucracy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bureaucracy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bureaucracy" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "administration" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bureaucracy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers. countable, uncountable
"However, when Britain left the European Union, ferries started to ply a direct sea link from Ireland, to save hauliers from custom's bureaucracy of driving via Britain."
- 2 any organization in which action is obstructed by insistence on unnecessary procedures and red tape wordnet
- 3 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. countable, uncountable
"At that time the administration replaced the system of patronage in the civil service with a bureaucracy."
- 4 a government that is administered primarily by bureaus that are staffed with nonelective officials wordnet
- 5 The body of officers and administrators, especially of a government. countable, uncountable
"The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy. (apocryphal quip)"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 nonelective government officials wordnet
- 7 Excessive red tape and routine in any administration, body or behaviour. countable, derogatory, uncountable
"The head of the civil service promised to clamp down on bureaucracy."
Synonyms
All synonyms administrationadministrationadministrative mattersadministrative processagenciesapparatus of government
Antonyms
Example
"The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of an expanding bureaucracy."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bureaucracy"?
Common synonyms include: administration, administration, administrative matters, administrative process, agencies, apparatus of government.
How do you use "bureaucracy" in a sentence?
The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of an expanding bureaucracy.
How do you pronounce "bureaucracy"?
Pronounced /bjʊəˈɹɒk.ɹə.si/.
Etymology
From bureau + -cracy, from French bureaucratie, coined by Jean Claude Marie Vincent de Gournay from bureau (“office”) + -cratie (“rule of”).