Dictionary

bureaucratic en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˌbjʊəɹəˈkɹætɪk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio Berkshire
• /ˌbjʊɹəˈkɹætɪk/ (Canada, General-American)
• audio Colorado
• [ˌbjʊɹəˈkɹæɾɪk] (Canada, General-American)

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 French bureaucrate Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -ique Middle French -ique French -ique ▲ French bureaucratie ▲ French -ique French bureaucratiquebor. English bureaucratic Borrowed from French bureaucratique, from bureaucrate (“bureaucrat”) or bureaucratie (“bureaucracy”) + -ique (“-ic”), equivalent to bureaucrat + -ic or bureau + -cratic.

Meanings

1. Of or pertaining to bureaucracy or the actions of bureaucrats.
   • [T. E.] Lawrence said that in the end he felt himself to be fighting not for the imperial British but for the rebellious Arabs. All too often he conflicted with British bureaucratic fustiness. 2014 March 2, Jan Morris, “Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Scott Anderson, review: A skilful account of T. E. Lawrence and his role in the painful birth of an emerging Middle East [print version: A rock in Arabia's shifting sands, 1 March 2014, p. R26]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review):
   • “We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy said on Thursday morning. 2025 March 27, Jessica Glenza, “RFK Jr plans 10,000 job cuts in restructuring of US health department”, in The Guardian:
   • European Union is legalistic, bureaucratic and runs by precedent. 2017 December 8, Steven Erlanger, “Brexit Talks Headed for a Second, More Difficult Phase”, in The New York Times:

Forms

Deriveds

pro-bureaucratic · contrabureaucratic · multibureaucratic · debureaucratic · bureaucratic inertia · bureaucratic centralism · probureaucratic · bureaupathic · extrabureaucratic · postbureaucratic · technobureaucratic · nonbureaucratic · unbureaucratic · bureaucratical · antibureaucratic

Relateds

administrative · bureaucracy · bureaucratically · bureaucrat · bureaucratese

Translations (32)

ms birokratik (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · uk бюрократи́чний (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · be бюракраты́чны (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · lv birokrātisks (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · ca burocràtic (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · it burocratico (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · ro birocratic (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · nl bureaucratisch (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · tr bürokratik (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · fi virkavaltainen (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · es burocrático (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · ast burocráticu (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · da bureaukratisk (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · mk бирокра́тски (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · gl burocrático (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · kk төрешілдік (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · hi शासनिक (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · id birokratis (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · fi byrokraattinen (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · pl biuralistyczny (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · pt burocrático (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · ga maorlathach (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · ms بيروکراتيک (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · ru бюрократи́ческий (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · hu bürokratikus (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · cs byrokratický (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · ka ბიუროკრატიული (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · de bürokratisch (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · cmn 官僚 (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · pl biurokratyczny (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · sv byråkratisk (of or pertaining to bureaucracy) · el γραφειοκρατικός (of or pertaining to bureaucracy)