bureaucrat
/ˈbjʊərəkrat
/noun
An official in a government department, in particular one perceived as being concerned with procedural correctness at the expense of people’s needs: the unemployed will be dealt with not by faceless bureaucrats but by individuals...
- A sheet of paper - the texts of new drafts soon to be debated by faceless bureaucrats - were pored over.
- The real concern of the union bureaucrats is to not be left out of the ruling class' machinations.
- Prime Minister José María Aznar rushed to contact Fidalgo personally and express his concern for the union bureaucrat's health.
Synonyms
official, administrator, office-holder, office-bearer, civil servant, public servant, government servant, minister, functionary, appointee, apparatchik, mandarin;
British jack-in-office
Origin
Mid 19th century: from French bureaucrate, from bureaucratie (see bureaucracy).