bureaucracybu·reauc·ra·cy /bjʊəˈrɒkrəsi bjʊˈrɑː-/ noun (plural bureaucracies)1[countableC] a system of government that uses a large number of departments and officialsa powerful centralized bureaucracy
2[uncountableU] disapproving all the complicated rules and processes of an official system, especially when they are confusing or responsible for causing a delaythe mountain of bureaucracy which blocks the path of aid workers trying to bring help to a country in desperate need