crony

[kroh-nee]

noun

plural

cronies 

1. a close friend or companion; chum.

   Synonyms: buddy, pal

crony

/ ˈkrəʊnɪ /

noun

1. a friend or companion

Word History and Origins

Origin of crony¹

1655–65; alleged to be university slang; perhaps < Greek chrónios for a long time, long-continued, derivative of chrónos time; chrono-

Word History and Origins

Origin of crony¹

C17: student slang (Cambridge), from Greek khronios of long duration, from khronos time

Example Sentences

"Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela's legitimate government," he added.

Read more on Barron's

Business transparency might expose the party or its cronies to scandals, or expose government malfeasance that could inspire popular protest.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Now, those “crony capitalists”—domestic producers that sell the machinery at several times the world price—have “connected with the Peronists in Congress to try to repeal this decree.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the president’s world, speakers should apparently be free to say whatever they please, just as long as what they say pleases him and his cronies.

Read more on Salon

“The billionaires continue to wage a war on working people, with their cronies in the administration, ICE and law enforcement backing up their attacks,” according to the organizers’ toolkit.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accomplice 
• acquaintance 
• associate 
• buddy 
• chum 
• colleague 
• comrade 
• confidant 

When To Use

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.