bureaucracy

noun

Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.

The body of officers and administrators, especially of a government.

(business, 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.

(chiefly derogatory) Excessive red tape and routine in any administration, body or behaviour.

Roots

burrabureau- · Latin · woolen cloth kratos-cracy · Greek · power, rule

Synonyms for bureaucracy

officialismn officialdomn governmentn administrationn bumbledomn hierarchyn

Synonyms & related words for bureaucracy

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of bureaucracy — including officialism, officialdom, government, administration, bumbledom, hierarchy. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to bureaucracy

Explore words related to bureaucracy — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include bureaucratic, bureaucratize, bureaucrats, bureaucratically, bureaucratization, federalese, officialese, mandarinate. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for bureaucracy

Common synonyms for bureaucracy include officialism, officialdom, government, administration, bumbledom, hierarchy — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does bureaucracy come from?

The word bureaucracy breaks down into 2 roots of Latin and Greek origin: bureau-, from Latin burra (“woolen cloth”); and -cracy, from Greek kratos (“power, rule”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.