Meritocracy

//mɛɹəˈtɑkɹəsi// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Rule by merit and talent. countable, uncountable

    "As a small nation without natural resources, Singapore relies on education and meritocracy to develop its economy."

  2. 2
    the belief that rulers should be chosen for their superior abilities and not because of their wealth or birth wordnet
  3. 3
    A type of society where wealth, income, and social status are assigned through competition. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    a form of social system in which power goes to those with superior intellects wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
aristocracyautarchyautonomycolonialismcommonwealthdemocracy

Example

More examples

"If such a thing as meritocracy existed, it would be gone within a generation."

Etymology

From merit + -o- + -cracy, coined by British sociologist Alan Fox in 1956 in an article in Socialist Commentary from May 1956, used as a derisive term, and popularized by British sociologist Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington in his 1958 book The Rise of the Meritocracy.

Related phrases

social status

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.