meritocracy

[mer-i-tok-ruh-see]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural

meritocracies

an elite group of people whose progress is based on ability and talent rather than on class, privilege, or wealth.
a system in which such persons are rewarded and advanced.
The dean believes the educational system should be a meritocracy.
leadership by able and talented persons.

meritocracy

/ ˌmɛrɪtəˈkrætɪk, ˌmɛrɪˈtɒkrəsɪ /

noun

rule by persons chosen not because of birth or wealth, but for their superior talents or intellect
the persons constituting such a group
a social system formed on such a basis

meritocracy

A government or society in which citizens who display superior achievement are rewarded with positions of leadership. In a meritocracy, all citizens have the opportunity to be recognized and advanced in proportion to their abilities and accomplishments. The ideal of meritocracy has become controversial because of its association with the use of tests of intellectual ability, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, to regulate admissions to elite colleges and universities. Many contend that an individual's performance on these tests reflects his or her social class and family environment more than ability.

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Other Word Forms

meritocratic adjective
ˈ��ٴ�ˌ�� noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of meritocracy¹

First recorded in 1955–60; merit + -o- + -cracy

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"They say it's a matter of meritocracy to be a citizen, that you have to earn it. But more than being myself, what do I have to demonstrate?"

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He explains that Tom Cruise’s Maverick represents the “more traditional American values of meritocracy over aristocracy amid what was supposed to be a cultural revolution intended to set up a new inverted aristocracy.”

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A person can understand, then, why shows fitting Kim’s “rags-to-riches” model are better at speaking to a more common and false view of America as a meritocracy.

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“In this business you have very little control of any outcome, and it’s not a meritocracy,” Boneta says.

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They want to pretend that the world is a meritocracy where white men just happen to be the best.

From

merit badge meritocrat

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