bureaucrat

American  

[byoor-uh-krat] / ˈbyʊər əˌkræt /

noun

1. an official of a bureaucracy.

2. an official who works by fixed routine without exercising intelligent judgment.

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bureaucrat British  

/ ˈbjʊərəˌkræt, bjʊəˈrɒkrəˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. an official in a bureaucracy

2. an official who adheres to bureaucracy, esp rigidly

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bureaucrat Cultural  

1. Someone who works in or controls a bureaucracy. The term is often used negatively to describe a petty, narrow-minded person. (See also conformity and organization man (see also organization man).)

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Other Word Forms

• bureaucratism noun

Etymology

Origin of bureaucrat

From the French word bureaucrate, dating back to 1835–45. See bureau, -crat

Example Sentences

He isn’t a bureaucrat who can simply be swapped for another.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026

While some prominent Taliban fighters and leaders were sent to Guantanamo, Halimi, as a relatively unknown bureaucrat, was part of a group that was gradually let out.

From Salon • Aug. 24, 2025

But now earnings from years of service are yanked away at the whim of a bureaucrat.

From Slate • Aug. 20, 2025

Spy line: Joe yells at an intrusive bureaucrat, “I choose the assets. I choose the cover. I build the plan. And I run it. Me!”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2025

I’d been in the same room with the ambassador every minute that he was in our house, and besides, that overstuffed, freeloading bureaucrat was too self-involved to ever commit murder.

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson

Related Words

• administrator
• civil servant
• functionary
• politician
• public servant