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
But in America, backroom deals, cronyism, and countless middle players proliferate in the dark and drive costs into the stratosphere.
—
Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
Think of the major alternatives, which include popularity, wealth, cronyism, nepotism or a lottery system.
—Kenji Yoshino, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
Public trust in the justice system is eroded when political cronyism is rewarded over fairness, when accountability is resisted, and when devastating errors are defended instead of confronted.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Since state jobs are won through cronyism and bribery, livelihoods were also at stake.
—Nabil Salih, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cronyism
Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
Think of the major alternatives, which include popularity, wealth, cronyism, nepotism or a lottery system.
—Kenji Yoshino, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
Public trust in the justice system is eroded when political cronyism is rewarded over fairness, when accountability is resisted, and when devastating errors are defended instead of confronted.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Since state jobs are won through cronyism and bribery, livelihoods were also at stake.
—Nabil Salih, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cronyism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cronyism
Noun
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James Baldwin's insight emphasizes the necessity of confronting issues like prejudice and bullying, which require ongoing leadership action; in a video lesson, Kim Scott offers practical strategies to foster respectful team culture and effectively address harmful behaviors.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
1 Apr. 2026
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Given the scale of that publicity, the risk of prejudice is significant.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The lawsuit against a Coca-Cola distributor signals a historic shift for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces federal law on workplace bias.—
Joanna Slater,
Washington Post,
31 Mar. 2026
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Worryingly, the researchers found the models had a tendency to find evidence of pathologies in the phantom images, showing that the models may have a bias towards diagnosing disease that could lead to dangerous and expensive misdiagnoses if used in real-world medical settings.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Missouri Auditor’s Office began investigating the village in 2024 after receiving a whistleblower complaint alleging nepotism and conflicts of interest.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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But nepotism rules everything around me, so why not The Immortal Man?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Still, Chief Wallabee, who is owned by Michael and Katherine Ball, has shown enough promise to merit favoritism — and possibly get Mott into the Florida Derby winner’s circle for the first time.—
Clark Spencer,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
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At the time, Chao’s office denied showing any favoritism, saying that Kentucky’s share was not out of the ordinary.—
Megan O’Matz,
ProPublica,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cronyism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cronyism. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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