Definitions for Bureaucracy
byʊˈrɒk rə sibu·reau·cra·cy

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. bureaucracy, bureaucratismnoun

   nonelective government officials

2. bureaucracynoun

   a government that is administered primarily by bureaus that are staffed with nonelective officials

3. bureaucracynoun

   any organization in which action is obstructed by insistence on unnecessary procedures and red tape

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.3 / 3 votes

1. bureaucracynoun

   Structure and regulations in place to control activity. Usually in large organizations and government operations.

2. Etymology: from bureaucratie, coined by Jean Claude Marie Vincent de Gournay (died 1759) from bureau + -cratie

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. bureaucracy

   Bureaucracy is a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation, normally found within large organizations, governments, or corporations. It is characterized by a strict hierarchical arrangement of positions of authority, rigid division of labor, standardized procedures, and rules and requirements that determine decisions and actions. This term also refers to the body of nonelective officials within an institution or organization.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Bureaucracynoun

   a system of carrying on the business of government by means of departments or bureaus, each under the control of a chief, in contradiction to a system in which the officers of government have an associated authority and responsibility; also, government conducted on this system

2. Bureaucracynoun

   government officials, collectively

WikidataRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Bureaucracy

   "Bureaucracy" is "a body of nonelective government officials" and/or "an administrative policy-making group." Historically, bureaucracy referred to government administration managed by departments staffed with nonelected officials. In modern parlance, bureaucracy refers to the administrative system governing any large institution. Since being coined, the word "bureaucracy" has developed negative connotations for some. Bureaucracies are criticized for their complexity, their inefficiency, and their inflexibility. The dehumanizing effects of excessive bureaucracy were a major theme in the work of Franz Kafka, and were central to his masterpiece The Trial. The elimination of unnecessary bureaucracy is a key concept in modern managerial theory, and has been a central issue in numerous political campaigns. Others have defended the existence of bureaucracies. The German sociologist Max Weber argued that bureaucracy constitutes the most efficient and rational way in which human activity can be organized, and that systematic processes and organized hierarchies were necessary to maintain order, maximize efficiency and eliminate favoritism. But even Weber saw bureaucracy as a threat to individual freedom, in which the increasing bureaucratization of human life traps individuals in the an "iron cage" of rule-based, rational control.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Bureaucracy

   būrō′kras-i, n. a system of government centralised in graded series of officials, responsible only to their chiefs, and controlling every detail of public and private life.—ns. Bureau′crat, Bureau′cratist, one who advocates government by bureaucracy.—adj. Bureaucrat′ic, relating to or having the nature of a bureaucracy.—adv. Bureaucrat′ically. [Bureau, and Gr. kratein, to govern.]

Matched Categories

1. • Government
   • Organization

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Bureaucracy' in Nouns Frequency: #2279

How to pronounce Bureaucracy?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Bureaucracy in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Bureaucracy in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Bureaucracy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of Bureaucracy in a Sentence

1. Shinzo Abe:

   We'll cut through all the bureaucracy to secure the goods people need for their lives, to improve life in the evacuation centers - such as air conditioners as the hot days continue - and then secure temporary housing and the other things people need to rebuild their lives.

2. Representatives Speaker John Boehner:

   Jordan is one of our staunchest allies in the region, there's an awful lot of things already in the pipeline but speeding that process up through the bureaucracy would certainly help the Jordanians in a time of significant need. And I think, frankly, all of Congress would support it.

3. Franz Kafka:

   Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

4. Christopher Mikson:

   The FDA is a massive government bureaucracy... There is a political aspect to running the FDA that is not really something that Dr. Hahn has done in the past, one of the reasons the Trump Administration would bring him in is because he is an outsider. He is an academic medical administrator from Texas by way of Philadelphia, not a Washington insider.

5. Jody Hice:

   I’m proud to introduce the Accountable Federal Employees Act, which reigns in the unelected, unaccountable federal bureaucracy and cements President Trump’s ground-breaking policies to address failing employees. Federal employees serve hardworking American taxpayers, and we must ensure the taxpayers’ investment in the federal government is well spent.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Bureaucracy
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Bureaucracy
3. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
4. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Bureaucracy
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=Bureaucracy
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=Bureaucracy