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View synonyms for

crony

[kroh-nee]

noun

plural

cronies 
  1. a close friend or companion; chum.

    Synonyms: ,


crony

/ ˈəʊɪ /

noun

  1. a friend or companion

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of crony1

1655–65; alleged to be university slang; perhaps < Greek óԾDz for a long time, long-continued, derivative of óԴDz time; chrono-
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Word History and Origins

Origin of crony1

C17: student slang (Cambridge), from Greek khronios of long duration, from khronos time
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Shadow sports minister Louie French accused the government of "installing one of their key cronies at the helm of what should be an independent regulator".

From

As I watch the Trump administration and his cronies continue to make references to God through their policy decisions, I can’t help but be disgusted.

From

Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said the UK is "committed to increasing pressure on Putin, his cronies, and all those who aid his barbaric war in Ukraine."

From

Some are much bigger, and are perpetuated by our president and his cronies.

From

In case you haven’t been paying attention, Trump and his cronies threaten or have already gutted organizations devoted to caring for veterans, the elderly, the medically vulnerable and other marginalized populations.

From

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When To Use

doescrony mean?

A crony is a close friend or associate, especially one among several.Crony can be used in a neutral way meaning much the same thing as buddy or pal, as in I still get together with my college cronies. But the word is most often used in a negative way to refer to a lackey or an accomplice in some kind of shady or illegal activity.It’s especially used in a political context to refer to friends or associates of people in power who are appointed to positions or otherwise shown favor due to their relationship with that person, rather than for their qualifications, as in He ran for office to enrich himself and his cronies. When used this way, it implies a criticism of such people.The term cronyism refers to the practice of appointing and otherwise favoring people in this way.Example: Several of the company’s executives were known to be cronies of the CEO, making them unpopular with many employees. 

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