Definition of "bureaucrat" []

• An official of a bureaucracy. (noun)
• An official who is rigidly devoted to the details of administrative procedure. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "And the irony of that is, the day before -- the Pentagon spokesman said that one reason Secretary Gates wanted the president to get all these individual opinions was to avoid what he called bureaucrat massaging."
• "If you think our red tape is formidable, remember Morocco is heavily influenced by the French, who invented the word bureaucrat."
• "(an official): The term bureaucrat, while often used in a professional and respectful manner, is oftentimes disdained by those who work in organizations, especially governmental organizations."