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Dictionary.com

powers that be

NOUN
bureaucracy
Synonyms
STRONGEST
administration authority civil service management ministry red tape
STRONG
directorate government officialdom officials
WEAK
beadledom city hall regulatory commission the Establishment the system
NOUN
establishment
Synonyms
STRONGEST
authority bureaucracy
STRONG
diehards
WEAK
city hall established order old guard the system
Antonyms
WEAK
proletariat
NOUN
governance
Synonyms
STRONGEST
administration control law politics
STRONG
authority bureaucracy command direction domination dominion empire execution executive guidance influence jurisdiction ministry patronage polity power
WEAK
political practice predominanc
Antonyms
STRONG
impotence incapacity opposition surrender weakness yielding
NOUN
government
Synonyms
STRONGEST
authority law ministry politics power regime rule state union
STRONG
Washington bureaucracy command control direction domination dominion empire execution executive governance guidance influence jurisdiction patronage polity predominance presidency regency regimentation regulation restraint sovereignty statecraft superintendence superiority supervision supremacy sway
WEAK
Uncle Sam political practice the feds
Antonyms
STRONG
inferiority opposition powerlessness submission subservience weakness
WEAK
anarchy chaos coup insurrection lawlessness mutiny revolt revolution
NOUN
power structure
Synonyms
STRONGEST
hierarchy ruling class
WEAK
class structure corridors of power establishment interests managerial hierarchy power elite status system stratification
NOUN
red tape
Synonyms
STRONGEST
bureaucracy
WEAK
authority bureaucratic paperwork city hall government management official forms official procedures officialdom officialism paper shuffling proper channels regulatory commission the Establishment the system

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As major league owners meet this week to plot strategy, the powers that be will consider the probable push for a salary cap.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

They could fund — and did — projects that weren’t commercially viable, that went against the status quo and the interests of the powers that be.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025

"The powers that be don't seem to understand the skills required for this ward to function."

From BBC • Aug. 17, 2025

It brings to mind this concept of malicious compliance, where you’re technically doing what you’re supposed to, but in a way that actually thwarts the goals of the powers that be.

From Slate • Aug. 15, 2025

The powers that be never did that, of course.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis