cronyism

noun

cro·ny·ism ˈkrō-nē-ˌi-zəm

: partiality to cronies especially as evidenced in the appointment of political hangers-on to office without regard to their qualifications

Did you know?

The word cronyism evolved in the 19th century as a spin-off of crony, meaning “friend” or “pal.” In its younger days, cronyism simply meant “friendship,” or “the ability to make friends.” The word didn’t turn bad until the next century, when Americans starting using it to refer to the act of playing political favorites. If cronyism is new to your vocabulary, perhaps you’re more familiar with the related term nepotism, meaning “favoritism based on kinship, especially in professional and political contexts.”

Examples of cronyism in a Sentence

The mayor has been accused of cronyism.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Our stories have focused on the conflicts of interest Trump’s stake in the company present and allegations of mismanagement and cronyism within the company. —

ProPublica, 7 Nov. 2024 Research from the Brookings Institution found that democracy leads to economic growth while democratic decline contributes to instability, cronyism, and brain drain. —

Ian Simmons, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024 And in more recent years, quite the opposite has happened: the United States has begun to move closer to Russia, as populism, cronyism, and corruption have sapped the strength of American democracy. —

Fiona Hill, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2021 Both district management and board members say this inquiry investigated allegations of cronyism that were contained in those past complaints and said they were not found substantiated. —

Kristen Taketa, The Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cronyism