bureaucrate

bureaucrat

noun bew-roh-KRAT Rare

Origin: From French bureau (office) + Greek -kratēs (ruler, agent).

Usage Note

Bureaucrate is almost always pejorative in everyday French, implying someone who applies rules rigidly without common sense. The feminine form is la bureaucrate. The related noun bureaucratie refers to the system itself, and bureaucratique is the adjective. The word carries stronger negative connotations in French than its English equivalent.

Examples

"Ce bureaucrate refuse tout compromis."

Natural Translation

This bureaucrat refuses any compromise.

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