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.

When we rely on meritocracies — when we tell ourselves that we’re capable of judging merit "objectively," whatever that might mean — bias and heuristics inevitably come into play.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2025

Tech leaders still largely believe their companies are meritocracies in which hard work is rewarded with generous salaries and stock options.

From Washington Post • Apr. 2, 2022

In democratic meritocracies, all members of society perceive themselves as having equal opportunity, which means that access to education and, consequently, jobs is theoretically based on inherent intelligence, talent, and skill.

From Slate • Mar. 1, 2019

Sport in its pure form is the opposite of all this, the opposite of judging a person on pigment, presenting instead the most thrilling of basic meritocracies.

From The Guardian • Dec. 14, 2018

Here was a world that was the purest of meritocracies.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell