cronyism

[ kroh-nee-iz-uhm ]

noun

1. the practice of favoring one's close friends, especially in political appointments.

cronyism

/ ˈkrəʊnɪˌɪzəm /

noun

1. the practice of appointing friends to high-level, esp political, posts regardless of their suitability

Word History and Origins

Origin of cronyism¹

First recorded in 1830–40; crony + -ism

Example Sentences

They have cronyism, systemic financial risk, excessive materialism, ecological crisis stemming from overconsumption.

From Freakonomics

Whereas in countries that are bogged down in cronyism and corruption, it doesn’t happen.

From Freakonomics

After the Philippines gained independence in 1946, economic development languished and was crippled by cronyism and corruption, causing the Philippine peso to drop in value throughout the mid- to late-20th century.

From Time

What we’re finding is a lot of the opportunity hoarding that is happening in agencies is because of nepotism or because of cronyism.

From Search Engine Land

I mean, there are plenty of multi-party political systems around the world that have similar cases of dysfunction and corruption and cronyism like ours.

From Freakonomics

As for Adrian Fenty, who Barry once supported and then turned on, he was “arrogant,” a “disappointment,” and guilty of cronyism.

From The Daily Beast

How cronyism, secrecy, and authoritarianism doomed Obamacare, and why it was all so unnecessary.

From The Daily Beast

She uncovers a reprehensible example of cronyism, elitism, and vote finagling which reflects some Israeli Leftist shortcomings.

From The Daily Beast

Are companies who use cronyism to grow their profit acting unethically?

From The Daily Beast

Both political parties are talking about cronyism and insider dealing.

From The Daily Beast

These two plagues – cronyism and nepotism – haunt public procurement.

From Project Gutenberg

And corruption was both rife and rampant – nepotism, cronyism, outright bribery.

From Project Gutenberg

Caught in a fatal spider web of family connections and political cronyism of their own design.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Cronyism

What does cronyism mean?

Cronyism the practice of appointing friends or associates to positions or otherwise showing them favor due to having a relationship with them, rather than for their qualifications.

The word cronyism is used to criticize such practices, especially in politics.

The people appointed to these positions can be called cronies, as in He ran for office to enrich himself and his cronies.  

In general, 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.

Example: Several high-ranking department positions were given to friends and former business associates of the governor, resulting in accusations of cronyism.

Where does cronyism come from?

The first records of the word cronyism come from the 1800s. The origin of the word crony isn’t known for sure, but it’s thought to come from university slang—its early recorded uses refer to school buddies. One possible origin could be the Greek chrónios, which means “for a long time” and is derived from the Greek chrónos, “time.” This makes sense since a crony is often a person you’ve known for a long time. The suffix -ism indicates a practice of something.

When a politician or public official appoints their longtime associates to positions, these people are often referred to as their cronies, especially in accusations of cronyism. Similarly, the practice of appointing family members to positions is called nepotism.Cronyism, nepotism, and other forms of favoritism are all commonly discussed in the context of criticism of governmental and political corruption.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to cronyism?

• crony (noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with cronyism? 

• crony

What are some words that often get used in discussing cronyism?

• nepotism
• associate
• friend
• politics
• government
• favoritism
• appoint
• position
• corruption

How is cronyism used in real life?

The word cronyism is used in a critical way, especially in the context of politics.

The level of cliqueness and cronyism in Scottish/ British politics is as depressing as it is destructive.

At least the weather has been nice today 😊🙃

— Mhairi Black MP🏳️‍🌈 (@MhairiBlack) July 31, 2020

No unfortunately in Irish politics it's musical chairs and let the same in and out the revolving back door system. Cronyism and Nepotism

— Tony Murray (@XbossTony) August 4, 2020

Italy’s Achilles heel: corruption and cronyismhttps://t.co/5MczFXEOjZ

— Spectator Culture (@CultureHouse) August 5, 2020

 

 

 

Try using cronyism!

Which of the following kinds of people are typically given positions under a system that’s considered to be cronyism? 

A. political opponents
B. the most qualified candidates
C. buddies
D. strangers