bureaucrat
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bureaucrat
A civil servant or employee in an administration who follows regulations excessively strictly. The term is often used disparagingly for a person perceived as pedantic and inflexible.
Wegen eines fehlenden Stempels schickte der Bürokrat im Amt den Antragsteller wieder weg.
Because of a missing stamp, the bureaucrat at the office sent the applicant away again.
Careful: 'Bürokrat' (bureaucrat) is almost always an insult or is at least used in a strongly disparaging way. It does not describe a neutral job title, but criticizes a person as inflexible and excessively fixated on rules.
Er gilt als typischer Bürokrat, der für kein Problem eine einfache Lösung findet.
He is considered a typical bureaucrat who cannot find a simple solution to any problem.
The word is made up of 'Büro' (office) and the ending '-krat', which comes from Greek and means 'rule' or 'power'. A 'Bürokrat' (bureaucrat) is therefore literally a 'ruler of the office', which emphasizes the negative association of rigid power.
Man fühlt sich der Willkür von einem Bürokraten ausgeliefert.
You feel at the mercy of a bureaucrat's arbitrariness.
This word belongs to a word family related to administration. Important related terms are the noun 'die Bürokratie' (bureaucracy) and the adjective 'bürokratisch' (bureaucratic).
Die übermäßige Bürokratie im Land lähmt viele Unternehmen.
The excessive bureaucracy in the country is paralyzing many companies.
civil servant
'der Beamte' and 'der Bürokrat' can both refer to a person in an administration. The difference is mainly in tone. 'Beamter' is a neutral term for someone with a special status in service to the state. 'Bürokrat' often sounds negative. It refers to someone who sticks very strictly to rules and forms and seems inflexible. Learners may confuse the words because both occur in offices and administrations. The safer distinction is: 'Beamter' is neutral and factual, while 'Bürokrat' is more of a criticism.
Der Kunde ärgerte sich, weil der Bürokrat nur auf eine fehlende Unterschrift zeigte.
The customer was annoyed because the bureaucrat only pointed to a missing signature.
Der Beamte half mir, den Antrag richtig auszufüllen.
The civil servant helped me fill out the application correctly.