meritocracy
noun
mer·i·toc·ra·cy
ˌmer-ə-ˈtä-krə-sē 
plural meritocracies
: a system, organization, or society in which people are chosen and moved into positions of success, power, and influence on the basis of their demonstrated abilities and merit (see merit entry 1 sense 1b)
Only the elite, in that new meritocracy, would enjoy the opportunity for self-fulfillment …—
Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn WarrenThough founded theoretically on principles of meritocracy, the public arena was parceled into spheres of personal influence …—Mac Margolis
Mac MargolisA paradox lies at the heart of this new American meritocracy. Merit has replaced the old system of inherited privilege … . But merit, it turns out, is at least partly class-based. Parents with money, education and connections cultivate in their children the habits that the meritocracy rewards.—Janny Scott et al.
Janny Scott et al.
also
: the people who are moved into such positions
a member of the meritocracy
France remains a tightly centralized nation, run by a governmental and business meritocracy carefully prepared for positions of power in elite graduate schools. —Jim Hoagland
Jim Hoagland Examples of meritocracy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Central to many of these policies is the belief that diversity lowers standards, replacing meritocracy with mediocrity.
—Rodney Coates, The Conversation, 29 May 2025
The Trump administration accuses Harvard of being in the grip of a leftist ideology that prioritizes diversity over meritocracy and has allowed antisemitism to flourish on campus, prompting its demand for reforms.
—Dan Gooding
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
In conclusion, under the rubric of anti-white bias, meritocracy and the war on woke, these conservative elites have consolidated their power by galvanizing their base.
—James Unnever and Wayne Genthner, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2025
And while the higher education industrial complex still markets itself as the great enabler of meritocracy and social mobility, the data — and reality — tell a far more complicated story.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
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Rodney Coates, The Conversation, 29 May 2025
The Trump administration accuses Harvard of being in the grip of a leftist ideology that prioritizes diversity over meritocracy and has allowed antisemitism to flourish on campus, prompting its demand for reforms.
—Dan Gooding
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
In conclusion, under the rubric of anti-white bias, meritocracy and the war on woke, these conservative elites have consolidated their power by galvanizing their base.
—James Unnever and Wayne Genthner, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2025
And while the higher education industrial complex still markets itself as the great enabler of meritocracy and social mobility, the data — and reality — tell a far more complicated story.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for meritocracy
Cite this Entry
“Meritocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meritocracy. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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