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Bureaucracy: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Bureaucracy noun. A system run by officials and departments that follows fixed rules, often criticised as slow and over-complicated.
How to say it
byoor-ROK-ruh-see/bjʊəˈrɒkrəsi/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (ROK). Forms: bureaucracies.
Meanings
- A system run by officials and departments that follows fixed rules, often criticised as slow and over-complicated.
- The officials who run a government or large organisation, taken together.
Bureaucracy in a sentence
It took four forms, two signatures and a six-week wait to change the address on her licence: bureaucracy at its finest.
The new minister promised to cut through the bureaucracy that kept small builders waiting years for permits.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- officialdom
- red tape
- administration
Where bureaucracy comes from
From French bureaucratie, from bureau, a desk or office, plus Greek -kratia, rule.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The new minister promised to cut through the _____ that kept small builders waiting years for permits.
- bureaucracy
- gerontocracy
- shibboleth
Show the answer
bureaucracy: The new minister promised to cut through the bureaucracy that kept small builders waiting years for permits.