BUREAUCRATIC Synonyms: 15 Similar and Opposite Words

bureaucratic

adjective

Definition of bureaucratic

as in governmental

of, relating to, or like a nonelective government official or body of government officials a bureaucratic institution bureaucratic procedures

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bureaucratic Meanwhile, the federal investigation and other bureaucratic hurdles have significantly slowed the plan’s implementation. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026 The neighborhood Governador Celso Ramos is a paradise of a peninsula hiding behind a bureaucratic-sounding name—literally a 20th-century governor. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026 Instead, Joe’s bureaucratic limbo provides a route into questions of usefulness, intimacy and belonging, combining an absurdist view of the future with a warmer, more humanist register. — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 We are tasked with bureaucratic work by institutions public and private. — Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bureaucratic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bureaucratic

Adjective

Are there other parties that might have helpful data, including private companies or other governmental entities?

— Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026
In April 2024, she was arrested and booked on charges of indecent exposure, soliciting prostitution and obstructing governmental operations.

— Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of governmental

Adjective

Ukraine has a difficult winter ahead and there are fears Russia may launch a new wave of mobilization following parliamentary elections later this month.

— Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
That, in turn, has led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing parliamentary majority to announce plans to overhaul the judiciary, including removing its horizontal-review power.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of parliamentary

Adjective

For all the headlines of the past month, not having general manager Mike Lombardi (who’s on administrative leave) around on a game day is probably a net positive for UNC football.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
The Oslo Accords, signed over thirty years ago, gave Palestinians at least administrative control of limited areas as a first step toward eventual control of the West Bank and Gaza—almost all of that twenty-two per cent of the land.

— David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of administrative

Browse Nearby Words

bureaucrateses

bureaucratic

bureaucrats

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“Bureaucratic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bureaucratic. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bureaucratic

adjective

Example Sentences

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