Origin: Greek suffix -cracy
Bureaucracy has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
nonelective government officials
"The new policy was stalled not by a lack of resources, but because several low-level bureaucrats refused to update their outdated forms without additional approval."
a government that is administered primarily by bureaus that are staffed with nonelective officials
"The new policy was delayed for months as the bureaucracy, run entirely by non-elected career officials, refused to approve the necessary changes."
any organization in which action is obstructed by insistence on unnecessary procedures and red tape
"The new project stalled for weeks because of the city bureaucracy, as every minor detail required three separate signatures before a single permit could be issued."
Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.
"The new policy failed because the bureaucracy spent months debating internal memos instead of actually helping families in need."