technocrat

noun

tech·​no·​crat ˈtek-nə-ˌkrat 

1

: an adherent of technocracy

2

: a technical expert

especially : one exercising managerial authority

Did you know?

In 1919 W. H. Smyth coined the term technocracy to mean basically "management of society by technical experts". Technocracy grew into a movement during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when politicians and financial institutions were being blamed for the economic disaster, and fans of technocracy claimed that letting technical experts manage the country would be a great improvement. (They also suggested that dollars could be replaced by "energy certificates" representing energy units called ergs.) Today technocrat and technocratic are still popular words for experts with a highly rational and scientific approach to public policy issues. But these experts aren't always the best politicians, and when a terrific technological solution to a problem is opposed by a powerful group or industry, lawmakers find it easier to just ignore it.

Examples of technocrat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hoover had proven during his term to be a technocrat utterly without political skills. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024

Bruno is a classic technocrat, calm and, yes, judicious, untroubled by doubt or other emotions. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2024

Von der Leyen’s personal power is bolstered, as is that of the technocrats who really run Brussels. —Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024

By the time Covid hit Mexico, Ms. Sheinbaum had eked out some space to govern her own way, empowering technocrats over party loyalists and investing in the police to fight crime, instead of relying on the military like Mr. López Obrador. —Natalie Kitroeff, New York Times, 30 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

techno- + -crat, after technocracy

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined at sense 1