bureaucrat

IPA/ˈbjʊərəkræt/
KK[bjˈʊrəkrˌæt]IPA/ˈbjʊrəkræt/

bureaucrat — noun

  • bureaucratsingular
  • bureaucratsplural

1. an official in a government office or large organization, especially one people

1.nounC1
Definition

an official in a government office or large organization, especially one people see as caring too much about rules and paperwork.

Example

After three rejected forms, Darius called the permit officer a bureaucrat.

negative use: criticize an official for rigid paperwork

Lakshmi dreaded meeting the school bureaucrat who kept delaying her grant.

pattern: bureaucrat who delays approval

Common collocations
  • career bureaucrat
  • senior bureaucrat
  • faceless bureaucrat
  • local bureaucrat
Synonyms
  • official

    broader and more neutral; does not suggest rigid paperwork

  • civil servant

    neutral term for a government employee

  • administrator

    broader management term that is not necessarily governmental

  • functionary

    formal and often critical, but more bookish in tone

Grammar Patterns

a senior bureaucrat

a career bureaucrat

call someone a bureaucrat

Usage Note

Often has a negative tone, suggesting a person who follows procedure too rigidly or delays action with paperwork. For a neutral job title, official, civil servant, or administrator is usually better.

Common Mistakes

I argued with the bureaucracy at the counter.
I argued with the bureaucrat at the counter.
bureaucracy is the system; bureaucrat is one person inside it.
The software firm hired two bureaucrats to design the app.
The software firm hired two administrators to manage the paperwork.
bureaucrat usually refers to officials in government or large institutions, not just any office worker.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all describe people in positions of office or administration, but bureaucrat usually carries the sharpest criticism. A bureaucrat is not just an official; the word suggests someone tied to procedure, paperwork, and slow decisions. Official is the broad neutral term for a person with authority in government or another institution. Civil servant is also mostly neutral and points specifically to someone employed by the government. Administrator is broader again: schools, hospitals, and companies all have administrators, so it does not imply public office or red tape. Functionary is formal and often negative too, but it sounds more bookish than bureaucrat. If you are complaining about a clerk who hides behind rules, bureaucrat is the strongest choice.

bureaucrat ↗official ↗civil servantadministrator ↗functionary ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • government bureaucrat
  • party bureaucrat
  • senior bureaucrat

Phrases

  • career bureaucrat
  • call someone a bureaucrat
  • blame the bureaucrats
  • faceless bureaucrats

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

English borrowed this word from French bureaucrate in the early 1800s, after the earlier word bureaucracy. The first part comes from French bureau, which first meant a desk and then an office, while the ending is linked to Greek kratos, meaning power or rule. From early on, this word family often sounded critical, so bureaucrat quickly came to suggest an official who seems ruled by procedure and paperwork.

First known use

1832

1832, in the meaning defined above