bureaucratize

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UK/bjʊəˈɹɒkɹətʌɪz/

verb

To bring under the control of a bureaucracy; to make bureaucratic.

OriginEnglish bureaucrat ← French bureaucrate ← Ancient Greek κρᾰ́τος (krắtos) →
Scrabble 26
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Meanings

verbbureaucratize (third-person singular simple present bureaucratizes, present participle bureaucratizing, simple past and past participle bureaucratized)

present singular third person bureaucratizes · participle present bureaucratizing · participle past bureaucratized · past bureaucratized · alternative bureaucratise

  1. transitiveTo bring under the control of a bureaucracy; to make bureaucratic.

    Measures aiming to centralize and bureaucratize the state's central finances […] were also introduced, bringing greater economy and rationality to the Treasury.

    2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 432

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*péh₂wr̥
  2. Proto-Hellenic*pāwər
  3. Ancient Greekπῦρ (pûr)
  4. Ancient Greekπῠρρός (pŭrrhós)
  5. Latinburrus
  6. Latinburra
  7. Old French*bure
  8. Old Frenchburel
  9. Frenchbureau
  10. Proto-Indo-European*kret-
  11. Ancient Greekκρᾰ́τος (krắtos)
  12. Frenchbureaucratie
  13. Frenchbureaucrate
  14. Englishbureaucrat
  15. Englishbureaucratize

From French bureaucratiser or bureaucrat, bureaucracy + -ize.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Basque burokratizatu
  • burokratizatuto make bureaucratic
Dutch bureaucratiseren
  • bureaucratiserento make bureaucratic
Finnish virkavaltaistaa, byrokratisoida
  • virkavaltaistaato make bureaucratic
  • byrokratisoidato make bureaucratic
French bureaucratiser
  • bureaucratiserto make bureaucratic
German bürokratisieren
  • bürokratisierento make bureaucratic
Italian burocratizzare
  • burocratizzareto make bureaucratic
Polish biurokratyzować, zbiurokratyzować
  • biurokratyzowaćto make bureaucratic
  • zbiurokratyzowaćto make bureaucratic
Russian бюрократизи́ровать
  • бюрократизи́ровать (bjurokratizírovatʹ)to make bureaucratic
Slovak byrokratizovať
  • byrokratizovaťto make bureaucratic
Spanish burocratizar
  • burocratizarto make bureaucratic
Swedish byråkratisera
  • byråkratiserato make bureaucratic
Ukrainian бюрократизувати
  • бюрократизувати (bjurokratyzuvaty)to make bureaucratic
Cite this entry
APA

bureaucratize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bureaucratize

MLA

“bureaucratize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bureaucratize. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bureaucratize,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bureaucratize.

Source: bureaucratize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.