Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun plural The mundane details involved in running an organization or executing a process.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Administrative details that must be dealt with in order to do more interesting work.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the tiresome but essential details that must be taken care of and tasks that must be performed in running an organization

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Blend of administration or administrative and trivia.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Blend of administrative and trivia; 1930s US.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word administrivia.

Examples

  • If it's any comfort, the word administrivia is awesome.

    One Bright Star (1B*) Reignited 2006

  • But if you don’t want to flounder in administrivia

    Women Grow Business » The Small Business Punt and How To Fix It (Hint: Laziness Makes You Work Too Hard) 2009

  • But if you don’t want to flounder in administrivia

    Women Grow Business » 2009 » September 2009

  • You have to have lawyers and accountants to make sure you have lived up to all the local, regional, state and national "administrivia" that is required of you.

    Ten Questions For Mark Cuban Forbes staff 2010

  • This is often affiliated with "administrivia" needless paperwork and processes.

    November 16th, 2006 curufea 2006

  • Yet, what constrains the function from getting respected in most organizations is a focus on being good at "administrivia," and not "the more important strategic role of raising the reputational and intellectual capital of the company."

    ERE.net 2009

  • Yet, what constrains the function from getting respected in most organizations is a focus on being good at "administrivia," and not "the more important strategic role of raising the reputational and intellectual capital of the company."

    ERE.net 2009

  • Yet, what constrains the function from getting respected in most organizations is a focus on being good at "administrivia," and not "the more important strategic role of raising the reputational and intellectual capital of the company."

    ERE.net 2009

  • Yet, what constrains the function from getting respected in most organizations is a focus on being good at "administrivia," and not "the more important strategic role of raising the reputational and intellectual capital of the company."

    ERE.net 2009

  • Yet, what constrains the function from getting respected in most organizations is a focus on being good at "administrivia," and not "the more important strategic role of raising the reputational and intellectual capital of the company."

    ERE.net 2009

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • I first saw this word in Po Bronson's book, "What Should I Do With My Life," which I was reading this morning on the Metrorail train to work.

    January 19, 2007