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

• directorial
• executive
• managerial
• supervisory

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

The director of Voice of America said that more than 1,300 journalists, producers and support staff have been placed on administrative leave following Donald Trump‘s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 15 Mar. 2025

Affected employees will be placed on administrative leave starting March 21 and will receive full pay and benefits until June 9, 90 days after the department announced its RIF plans. —Stephen Fowler, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025

This reclaimed time enables teachers to shift their focus from tedious administrative tasks to direct student interaction and tailored lesson delivery. —Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025

However, a second source later told CBS News that VOA personal services contractors, who are also full-time, had received the same administrative email as federal employees. —Camilla Schick, CBS News, 15 Mar. 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