bureaucrat
noun
Did you know?
In French, a bureau is a desk, so bureaucracy means basically "government by people at desks". Despite the bad-mouthing they often get, partly because they usually have to stick so close to the rules, bureaucrats do almost all the day-to-day work that keeps a government running. The idea of a bureaucracy is to split up the complicated task of governing a large country into smaller jobs that can be handled by specialists. Bureaucratic government is nothing new; the Roman empire had an enormous and complex bureaucracy, with the bureaucrats at lower levels reporting to bureaucrats above them, and so on up to the emperor himself.
Synonyms
- civil servant
- functionary
- mandarin
- public servant
Example Sentences
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2022 En route, the book offers us a gripping overview of humankind’s seemingly unstoppable evolution from primitive but harmless nomad to the rapacious bureaucrat in charge of civic planning in your neighborhood today. Elizabeth Lowry, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 During the Early Modern period, Haigh observes, office took on another meaning too: a position held by a bureaucrat such as a magistrate, whose work was carried out in an official building. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 6 July 2022 On Friday, he is expected to return to the city to preside over the inauguration of John Lee, a former policeman and bureaucrat, as Hong Kong’s new leader. WSJ, 30 June 2022 Here, Hamm plays a no-nonsense bureaucrat in this satire of corporate mores. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 8 June 2022 Apparently some cranky cosmic bureaucrat in charge of business conditions woke up the next morning with a truly epic hangover. Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 27 May 2022 When China tapped career bureaucrat Carrie Lam to become Hong Kong’s top official in 2017, she was widely viewed as a conciliatory figure, pledging to heal divisions surrounding the city’s pro-democracy struggles. Natasha Khan, WSJ, 4 Apr. 2022 Part bureaucrat, part counselor, much of Bill’s life revolves around Zoom calls and subcommittees, government acronyms and grant applications. Jose A. Del Real, Washington Post, 23 May 2022 See More Word History
borrowed from French bureaucrate, after bureaucratie — more at bureaucracy, -crat
1832, in the meaning defined above
bureaucrat
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- functionary
- clerk
- official
- worker
- employee
- mandarin
- civil servant
- public servant
- officeholder
- underling
- employe
- hireling
- officiary
- jobholder
- hand
- throw a curve
- throw a curveball
- throw a fit
- throw a kiss
- throw a monkey wrench into
- throw a spanner in the works
- throw a tantrum
- throw a wobbly
- throw a wrench into the works
- throw about
- throw away
- throw by
- throw caution to the wind
- throw cold water on
- throw doubt on
- throw down
- throw down the gauntlet
- throw for a loop
- throw for a loss
- throw in at the deep end
- throw in one's lot with
- throw in the deep end
- throw in the sponge
- throw in the towel
- throw into disorder