as in prejudice
disapproving
the unfair practice by a powerful person (such as a politician) of giving jobs and other favors to friends
The mayor has been accused of cronyism.
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Recent Examples of cronyism
Ulbrich was one of seven candidates the Falcons interviewed, and the only one who had a strong previous professional connection with Morris, so the head coach has left himself open to being criticized for cronyism if this hire doesn’t work.
—
Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
New Yorkers should reject this blatant cronyism and demand a Public Campaign Finance Program which does not benefit one party or open the door to corruption.
—Ryan Silverstein, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2025
Between the lines: As Axios' Neil Irwin notes, sovereign wealth funds are by their nature prone to suggestions of cronyism, even if the behavior is entirely legal.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 6 Feb. 2025
Tokayev has also announced a major audit and restructuring of Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, including new personnel recruiting and procurement procedures intended to diminish cronyism, which is believed to be valued at $69 billion and to control at least 55 percent of the country’s assets.
—Alexander Cooley, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for cronyism
Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
New Yorkers should reject this blatant cronyism and demand a Public Campaign Finance Program which does not benefit one party or open the door to corruption.
—Ryan Silverstein, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2025
Between the lines: As Axios' Neil Irwin notes, sovereign wealth funds are by their nature prone to suggestions of cronyism, even if the behavior is entirely legal.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 6 Feb. 2025
Tokayev has also announced a major audit and restructuring of Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, including new personnel recruiting and procurement procedures intended to diminish cronyism, which is believed to be valued at $69 billion and to control at least 55 percent of the country’s assets.
—Alexander Cooley, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for cronyism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cronyism
Noun
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Adopt a zero-tolerance approach: Document every incident thoroughly with legal experts and witnesses, distinguishing valid concerns from smear campaigns, false claims or prejudice.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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The premium crime show mixes whodunnits with explorations of social issues, including class differences, prejudices, workplace dynamics, and identity.—
Georg Szalai,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Overcoming Challenges Despite its benefits, hyper-personalization presents challenges such as data privacy concerns, algorithmic bias and ad fatigue.—
Gunjan Paliwal,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
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Brodsky noted the phenomenon of input bias: Our tendency to believe that, between two presentations, the one that took more time to make is of higher quality.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Reset slate was also interested in ending nepotism, noting that Balich’s son, Bozen’s sister and Shake’s husband were full-time employees at the township.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
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Andie MacDowell is redefining nepotism with a little help from her movie star daughter, Margaret Qualley.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For decades, the WHCA has handled logistics and scheduling, ensuring that the makeup of the pool is free of government favoritism or retaliation.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2025
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Past presidents have used the system precisely to avoid even the appearance of retaliation or favoritism toward America’s free press.—
Megan Schrader,
The Denver Post,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cronyism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cronyism. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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