bureaucrat

C2+ Topic:Mind & Cognition
US /ˈbjʊrəˌkræt/ UK /ˈbjʊərəkræt/
noun

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    an official who works by fixed routine without exercising judgment

    A faceless bureaucrat rejected the form over a typo.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · an official who works by... officialfunctionaryadministratorapparatchikmandarinclerkofficeholder
Word family
Derived forms bureaucraticbureaucratize
Related forms bureaubureaucracy

Etymology

From French bureaucrate, from bureau ('desk, office') + -crate ('ruler', from Greek -kratia 'power, rule'). Bureau is from Old French burel, a coarse woolen cloth used to cover desks.

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Topics

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