of ‧ fi ‧ cial ‧ dom /əˈfɪʃ ə ldəm/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ office , ↑ officer , ↑ official , ↑ officialdom , ↑ officialese , ↑ officiousness ; adverb : ↑ officially ≠ ↑ unofficially , ↑ officiously ; adjective : ↑ official ≠ ↑ unofficial , ↑ officious ; verb : ↑ officiate ]
government departments or the people who work in them – used when you think they are not helpful ⇨ bureaucracy