merit system

American  

noun

1. a system or policy whereby people are promoted or rewarded on the basis of ability and achievement rather than because of seniority, quotas, patronage, or the like.

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merit system British  

noun

1. the system of employing and promoting civil servants solely on the basis of ability rather than patronage Compare spoils system

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Etymology

Origin of merit system

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

merit system

The restored merit system will apply to freshmen entering the school in the fall of 2023.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2022

It was published just as the U.S. bureaucracy was being transformed from the spoils system to the merit system primarily in use today.

From Textbooks ● Jul. 28, 2021

“The merit system of making appointments is in its essence as democratic and American as the common school system itself,” Teddy Roosevelt remarked in 1901.

From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2019

“Our job is to safeguard the merit system so people feel their tax dollars are being used to treat federal workers fairly,” he said.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 25, 2019

Civil service reform in the late nineteenth century reduced patronage and corruption and introduced a merit system that allowed blacks to get a foot in the door.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly