meritocracy
noun
an elite group of people whose progress is based on ability and talent rather than on class, privilege, or wealth.
meritocracies
-
pluralof meritocracy.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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
Colleges, Casteen said, present themselves as meritocracies in which academic ability and hard work are always rewarded.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
