crony
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does crony 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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of crony
1655–65; alleged to be university slang; perhaps < Greek chrónios for a long time, long-continued, derivative of chrónos time; cf. chrono-
Explanation
A crony (rhymes with “pony”) is a buddy, a close confidant you spend time with and trust. Your boss might make everyone at work angry if she keeps only giving raises to her cronies. While a crony is basically just a good pal or sidekick, the word sometimes has a negative connotation — that you and your crony are up to no good together. It also implies the idea of cronyism, or unfairly giving friends jobs or promotions they're not qualified for. Crony capitalism refers to doing that in an economic way, like people in government giving tax breaks to their friends. Crony is 17th century British student slang, from the Greek khronios, "long-lasting."
Vocabulary lists containing crony
Born a Crime
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
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And Then There Were None
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Anders Aslund, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and the author of the 2019 book “Russia’s Crony Capitalism,” pegged the Russian president’s wealth at about $125 billion.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2022
“Technically it’s successful,” said Minxin Pei, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College and author of “China’s Crony Capitalism.”
From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2022
Loyaled up: Brought all your favorite people to Crony Island.
From Washington Post • Apr. 12, 2018
“The initial signs are not good,” said Minxin Pei, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California and author of the book China’s Crony Capitalism.
From The Guardian • Dec. 10, 2016
AH! with the Green my fading life provide, Some ancient golfing Crony by my side: Content to play one Round, or, meeker still, To mix a gentle Foursome satisfied.
From The Golfer's Rubaiyat by Boynton, Henry Walcott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
