administrative
administrative — adjective
1. describing the everyday paperwork, scheduling, and routine decisions that keep a
describing the everyday paperwork, scheduling, and routine decisions that keep a workplace, school, or charity running day to day.
Xiomara spent her morning on administrative tasks like filing forms and booking meeting rooms.
administrative + tasks: paperwork-and-scheduling collocation
The hospital hired three new staff to handle administrative work in the front office.
administrative work: general office duties
Citlali was promoted to an administrative role and now manages the team's budgets and timetables.
Many small charities struggle with the administrative costs of payroll and reporting.
Our new software cuts down the administrative burden on classroom teachers.
- managerial
focuses on supervising people; 'administrative' focuses on paperwork and procedures
- clerical
narrower — basic office tasks like filing or typing, not decision-making
- organizational
broader — about how a group is structured, not just daily running
- operational
the front-line work itself (teaching, treating patients) rather than the office support behind it
文法句型
administrative + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used before a noun (administrative tasks / role / costs / burden). Subject is rarely a person; the word describes the work itself, not the worker — for that, use 'administrative staff' or 'administrator'.
常見錯誤
2. describing the way a country or area is divided up into smaller official units —
describing the way a country or area is divided up into smaller official units — counties, provinces, districts — so that local government can run each one.
Taiwan is split into twenty-two administrative divisions, each led by a local mayor or magistrate.
administrative divisions: government-area collocation
The town hall in Lyon serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding region.
administrative centre: capital-of-an-area pattern
After the reform, three small villages were merged into one administrative unit.
The river forms the administrative boundary between the two provinces.
- governmental
broader — anything done by government, not specifically about how land is divided
- municipal
narrower — only at city or town level
文法句型
administrative + region/division/capital
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: here the noun describes a place or geographical unit (region, district, capital, boundary), not office paperwork. Common collocations include administrative region, division, district, area, capital.
常見錯誤
3. describing the rules and court procedures that decide how government offices, ag
describing the rules and court procedures that decide how government offices, agencies, and local councils must treat ordinary citizens.
Mr. Lin filed an administrative appeal after the city refused his building permit.
administrative appeal: challenging a government decision
Students in the law clinic study administrative law every Tuesday afternoon.
administrative law: rules controlling government bodies
The administrative court ruled that the tax office had acted unfairly toward the family.
Foreign workers must follow strict administrative procedures to renew their visas.
- regulatory
about written rules, especially for businesses; 'administrative' covers the broader citizen-government relationship
文法句型
administrative + law/court/procedure
用法筆記
Formal, legal register. Distinguish from sense 1: here the noun is almost always 'law', 'court', 'appeal', or 'procedure', and the topic is citizens' rights against government bodies — not office paperwork.