administrative

adjective

ad·​min·​is·​tra·​tive əd-ˈmi-nə-ˌstrā-tiv 

-strə-

: of or relating to administration or an administration : relating to the management of a company, school, or other organization

administrative tasks/duties/responsibilities

administrative expenses/costs

a hospital's administrative staff

… these schools are given wide latitude in creating their teaching programs as long as they meet certain academic standards; they are also freed from many of the administrative and hiring rules governing traditional public schools.

—Suzanna Andrews

Synonyms

• managerial

Examples of administrative in a Sentence

She has an administrative job.

among his other administrative duties is the appointment of transit authority officials

Recent Examples on the Web

Nguyen said his office has avoided fee increases and kept costs low by automating administrative tasks and incorporating new technology such as an AI chatbot, which has significantly reduced call volume. —Claire Wang, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025

The first major updates in the last decade to the building code went into effect earlier this month after a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in July limited a key legislative committee's ability to indefinitely block administrative rules. —Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 26 Sep. 2025

And faculty worry that teaching certain subject matter and texts might offend students and, if students complain, lead to administrative sanctions. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025

The officer involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave, per standard practice, police told the Statesman. —Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

administr(ation) + -ative

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing administrative

• administrative county
• administrative law

Rhymes for administrative

• accommodative
• accumulative
• adjudicative
• agglutinative
• ameliorative
• appreciative
• assimilative
• associative
• authoritative
• collaborative
• cooperative
• deliberative

Kids Definition

administrative

adjective

ad·​min·​is·​tra·​tive əd-ˈmin-ə-ˌstrāt-iv 

-strət-

: of or relating to administration

an administrative position

Legal Definition

administrative

adjective

ad·​min·​i·​stra·​tive əd-ˈmi-nə-ˌstrā-tiv 

1

: of or relating to the performance of a function : ministerial

administrative communications include…instructions that encourage a jury to continue its deliberations

—National Law Journal

2

: of or relating to the executive branch of a government compare legislative, judicial

3

: of or relating to a government agency

administrative remedies