bureaucracy
noun
[ ˌbjʊ(ə)ˈrɒkrəsi ]
• a system of government in which most of the important decisions are taken by state officials rather than by elected representatives.
Similar:
civil service,
administration,
government,
directorate,
the establishment,
the system,
the powers that be,
corridors of power,
ministries,
authorities,
officials,
officialdom,
Big Brother,
• excessively complicated administrative procedure.
• "the unnecessary bureaucracy in local government"
Origin:
early 19th century: from French bureaucratie, from bureau (see bureau).
