officialdom
/əˈfɪʃldəm/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈfɪʃldəm/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈfi-shəl-dəm ō-/ (ame, mw)
officialdom — noun
1. the body of officials and senior administrators in government or other large ins
the body of officials and senior administrators in government or other large institutions, especially when people criticize them for caring more about rules and paperwork than about helping others.
After six months of forms and delays, Evelyn blamed officialdom for the stalled housing project.
negative frame: blame officialdom for delay and red tape
Many young voters feel officialdom still speaks in stiff language from another age.
When the flood hit Tainan, officialdom reacted slowly and volunteers reached families first.
Daniel's complaint got lost in officialdom before anyone fixed the broken elevator.
The novel mocks officialdom with scenes of clerks protecting rules instead of people.
- bureaucracy
stresses the administrative system and procedures more than the people inside it
- civil service
more neutral and usually limited to government employees rather than a critical public tone
- establishment
broader; can include social and political elites beyond officials
文法句型
blame / criticize / mock + officialdom
officialdom + verb
用法筆記
Usually uncountable and often critical in tone. Use it for officials seen as a slow, rule-bound group or system, not for one person; for individual people, say 'official' or 'officials' instead.