Words / C1

by-oorr-uh-KRAT-ik/ˌbjʊərəˈkrætɪk/

Bureaucratic means full of complicated official rules that slow things down: a bureaucratic visa process. Official is neutral; administrative is close and less insulting; red tape is the informal complaint. Bureaucracy is the noun (the system and the people). In speech, too much paperwork or boxed in by rules is enough. Use it as criticism of process, not as a synonym for any government office that works well.

Meaning

Involving complicated official rules that slow things down.

Examples

• “The visa process was slow and bureaucratic.”
• “A bureaucratic loop meant the same form was signed three times.”
• “She is precise, not bureaucratic: the rules she wrote actually shorten the queue.”

Good to know

Full of slow official rules. Noun: bureaucracy. Informal: red tape. Neutral cousin: administrative. Everyday: too much paperwork.

Near in meaning

administrative

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