Spanish Conversation · Level 49
75 words
Spanish word
burocracia
Pronunciation
IPA/buɾoˈkɾaθja/
Meaning
- feminine nounred tape
Example
La burocracia retrasó la apertura del negocio.
Red tape held up the opening of the business.
More examples
La burocracia excesiva demoró mi solicitud de residencia.
Excessive bureaucracy delayed my residency application.
Core concept
A tangle of stamped, identical forms piling up in front of a locked service window.
Common phrases
la burocracia excesiva
excessive bureaucracy
la burocracia estatal
government bureaucracy
Similar words
trámite: Official sequence of steps required to process a request or transaction.
papeleo: Stack of required forms and the tedious handling of document tasks.
administración: Administrative apparatus that implements policies and manages public affairs.
funcionariado: Class of career public servants employed by government institutions.
Definition in Spanish
Conjunto de normas y procedimientos administrativos que, por exceso de formalidades, crean demoras y complicaciones.
Word origin
Borrowed from French bureaucratie, itself from bureau 'office' plus Greek -kratia 'rule', conveying authority exercised through office routines.
Usage tips
- In casual speech people say 'mucho papeleo' to point to the paperwork itself, while 'burocracia' highlights the system that creates those obstacles.
Other meanings
- bureaucracynoun
Opposites
- eficienciaefficiencynoun
- agilidadagilitynoun
Related words
- burocráticobureaucraticadjective
- burocratizarbureaucratizeverb
- burocratizaciónbureaucratizationnoun