bureaucracy en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- [bjʊəˈɹɔ̟k.ɹə.si] (New-Zealand)
- /bjʊˈɹɑ.kɹə.si/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)
- /bjʊˈɹɒk.ɹə.si/ (Canada, dialectal) of the US
- /bjʊəˈɹɒk.ɹə.si/ (New-Zealand)
- /bjɚˈɹɒk.ɹə.si/ (Canada, dialectal) of the US
- /bjʊəˈɹɒk.ɹə.si/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /bjɚˈɹɑ.kɹə.si/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)
- /bjʊəˈɹɔk.ɹə si/ (Australia)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ Proto-Hellenic *pāwər Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr) Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Hellenic *-rós Ancient Greek -ρός (-rós) Ancient Greek πῠρρός (pŭrrhós)bor. Latin burrus Latin burra Old French *bure Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lus Latin -ellus Old French -el Old French burel French bureau Proto-Indo-European *kret-der. Ancient Greek κρᾰ́τος (krắtos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek -κρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (-krătĭ́ā)lbor. French -cratie French bureaucratie English bureaucracy From bureau + -cracy, from French bureaucratie, coined by Jean Claude Marie Vincent de Gournay from bureau (“office”) + -cratie (“rule of”).
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.
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.
2021 December 29, Philip Haigh, “Rail's role in unifying Great Britain and Northern Ireland”, in RAIL, number 947, page 25:
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(countable, qualifier:organizational theory, uncountable) 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.
Each of the most provocative selections is facing criticism that they lack the expertise and experience to run the vast, specialized bureaucracies that would be under their control.
2024 November 18, Stephen Collinson, “Trump doubles down on provocative Cabinet picks as their fates hang in the balance”, in CNN, archived from the original on 28 Mar 2025:At that time the administration replaced the system of patronage in the civil service with a bureaucracy.
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(countable, uncountable) The body of officers and administrators, especially of a government.
The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy. (apocryphal quip)
-
(countable, derogatory, uncountable) Excessive red tape and routine in any administration, body or behaviour.
"If we can capture anything from this awful situation, it is that ability to trust people to do certain things for themselves and to look out for each other, and to give them the tools to do their job as well as they can without having to go through endless bureaucracy to achieve it, which very often just delays and dilutes and doesn't add much value.
2020 May 20, Andrew Haines talks to Stefanie Foster, “Repurpose rail for the 2020s”, in Rail, page 35:The head of the civil service promised to clamp down on bureaucracy.
“If you have rule of the bureaucrat — if the bureaucracy is in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have?” Musk said during his 30-minute appearance with Trump, where he rebuffed critics who said he’s the one undermining democratic institutions.
2025 February 14, Marshall Cohen, “The almighty Musk: How the world’s richest man became Washington’s most powerful bureaucrat”, in CNN, archived from the original on 21 Feb 2025:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bureau-ocracy | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| bureaucratie | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| bureaucracies | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
bureaucratically · bureaucratese · bureaucratize · technobureaucracy · bureaupathology · bureaucrazy · bureaucrat · bureaucrap · Eurocracy · bureaucratic · antibureaucracy
Relateds
Synonyms
papyrocracy (rule through excessive regulation)
Translations (131)
el γραφειοκρατία (system of administration) · sh бирократија (system of administration) · es burocracia (body of officers) · kmr burokrasî (system of administration) · de Bürokratie (system of administration) · hu bürokrácia (system of administration) · uk бюрократія (government by bureaus) · tk býurokratiýa (system of administration) · uz byurokratiya (system of administration) · fi byrokratia (excessive red tape) · pl biurokracja (government by bureaus) · de Bürokratie (government by bureaus) · fi hallitus (body of officers) · hi अफ़सरशाही (system of administration) · fi byrokratia (body of officers) · fi hallintokoneisto (excessive red tape) · fi hallintokoneisto (system of administration) · cmn 繁文縟節 /繁文缛节 (excessive red tape) · vi bọn quan liêu (system of administration) · sk byrokracia (system of administration) · sq burokraci (system of administration) · yi ביוראָקראַטיע (system of administration) · nb byråkrati (system of administration) · ms birokrasi (system of administration) · cmn 官僚制 (system of administration) · nl bureaucratie (excessive red tape) · he בִּירוֹקרַטִיָה (system of administration) · ur دَفْتَر شاہی (system of administration) · de Bürokratismus (excessive red tape) · fo embætismannavald (system of administration) · sl birokracija (system of administration) · ga maorlathas (system of administration) · nl apparaat (body of officers) · et bürokraatia (system of administration) · is skrifræði (system of administration) · cmn 形式主義 /形式主义 (excessive red tape) · ky бюрократия (system of administration) · fr bureaucratie (system of administration) · pa ਅਫ਼ਸਰਸ਼ਾਹੀ (system of administration) · uk бюрокра́тія (system of administration) · pt burocracia (excessive red tape) · ug بيۇروكراتلىق (system of administration) · cmn 官僚 (system of administration) · fi byrokratia (government by bureaus) · pt burocracia (system of administration) · cs byrokracie (system of administration) · is skrifstofuveldi (system of administration) · ro birocrație (system of administration) · ca burocràcia (excessive red tape) · cmn 官僚體制 /官僚体制 (body of officers) · ru бюрокра́тия (government by bureaus) · tr bürokrasi (system of administration) · nl bureaucratie (government by bureaus) · mi taero (excessive red tape) · az bürokratiya (system of administration) · ca burocràcia (body of officers) · mk бирокра́тија (system of administration) · pl biurokracja (body of officers) · kk төрешілдік (government by bureaus) · nl bureaucratie (body of officers) · sh birokratija (system of administration) · fa بوروکراسی (system of administration) · pt burocracia (body of officers) · bn আমলাতন্ত্র (system of administration) · da bureaukrati (excessive red tape) · ar بِيرُقْرَاطِيَّة (system of administration) · ro birocrație (government by bureaus) · th ระบบข้าราชการประจำ (system of administration) · ps بيوروکراسي (system of administration) · sv byråkrati (system of administration) · lo ພະຍາດອາດຊະຍາສິດ (system of administration) · ru бюрокра́тия (system of administration) · hy բյուրոկրատիա (system of administration) · fi byrokratia (system of administration) · ca burocràcia (government by bureaus) · th อำมาตยาธิปไตย (system of administration) · de Verwaltungsapparat (system of administration) · cy biwrocratiaeth (system of administration) · be бюракра́тыя (system of administration) · fr bureaucratie (government by bureaus) · lv birokrātija (system of administration) · id birokrasi (system of administration) · es burocracia (government by bureaus) · id birokrasi (government by bureaus) · da bureaukrati (system of administration) · pl biurokracja (system of administration) · lt biurokratija (system of administration) · pl biuralizm (system of administration) · pl biurokracja (excessive red tape) · gl burocracia (system of administration) · te అధికార వర్గం (system of administration) · hi दफ़्तरशाही (system of administration) · cy biwrocratiaeth (government by bureaus) · de Beamtentum (government by bureaus) · my ဗျူရိုကရေစီ (system of administration) · fa دیوانسالاری (system of administration) · id birokrasi (excessive red tape) · es burocracia (excessive red tape) · pt burocracia (government by bureaus) · ca burocràcia (system of administration) · mn хүнд суртал (system of administration) · ko 관료제 (system of administration) · de Beamtenapparat (body of officers) · nl bureaucratie (system of administration) · ur اَفْسَر شاہی (system of administration) · th อมาตยาธิปไตย (government by bureaus) · kk төрешілдік (system of administration) · is regluveldi (system of administration) · kmr bîrokratî (system of administration) · mi aparau (excessive red tape) · kmr bîrokrasî (system of administration) · pt oficialismo (body of officers) · kk бюрократия (system of administration) · it burocrazia (system of administration) · hi अधिकारीवर्ग (system of administration) · ka ბიუროკრატია (system of administration) · ur نَوکَر شاہی (system of administration) · vi bộ máy quan liêu (system of administration) · nl ambtenarenapparaat (body of officers) · km ការិយាធិបតេយ្យ (system of administration) · bg бюрокрация (government by bureaus) · ja 官僚制 (system of administration) · tg бюрократия (system of administration) · cmn 官僚體制 /官僚体制 (government by bureaus) · eo burokratismo (government by bureaus) · de Bürokratisierung (excessive red tape) · es burocracia (system of administration) · hi नौकरशाही (system of administration) · fo skrivstovuveldi (system of administration) · sco bureaucracie (system of administration) · bg бюрокрация (system of administration)