meritocracy

[mer-i-tok-ruh-see]

noun, plural mer·i·toc·ra·cies.

an elite group of people whose progress is based on ability and talent rather than on class privilege or wealth.

a system in which such persons are rewarded and advanced: The dean believes the educational system should be a meritocracy.

leadership by able and talented persons.

Origin of meritocracy

First recorded in 1955–60; merit + -o- + -cracy

Related formsmer·i·to·crat·ic

[mer-i-tuh-krat-ik] /ˌmɛr ɪ təˈkræt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for meritocratic

Contemporary Examples of meritocratic

The biggest problem with meritocratic thinking is its obsession with who has earned what.
We Need More Class Traitors: Solving America’s Meritocracy Problem
Jedediah Purdy
April 20, 2014
But it was first and foremost an attempt to wake up America from the torpor of the daily grind under its meritocratic overlords.
Miley Cyrus's Smartest Tattoo
James Poulos
September 28, 2013
But her model for meritocratic social mobility was predicated upon the value of cutthroat individualism.
How Thatcher's Ideology Threatens To Kill Zionism
Samuel Lebens
April 18, 2013
The grandes écoles, the most influential schools, are meant to train a meritocratic elite, and have rigid admission standards.
Death in New York of French Educator Richard Descoings Treated as Suspicious
Christopher Dickey
April 4, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for meritocratic

meritocracy

noun plural -cies

rule by persons chosen not because of birth or wealth, but for their superior talents or intellect

the persons constituting such a group

a social system formed on such a basis

Derived Formsmeritocrat, nounmeritocratic (ˌmɛrɪtəˈkrætɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for meritocratic

meritocracy

coined 1958 by British sociologist Michael Young (1915-2002) and used in title of his book, "The Rise of the Meritocracy"; from merit (n.) + -cracy. Related: Meritocratic.

meritocratic in Culture

meritocracy

[(mer-i-tok-ruh-see)]

A government or society in which citizens who display superior achievement are rewarded with positions of leadership. In a meritocracy, all citizens have the opportunity to be recognized and advanced in proportion to their abilities and accomplishments. The ideal of meritocracy has become controversial because of its association with the use of tests of intellectual ability, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, to regulate admissions to elite colleges and universities. Many contend that an individual's performance on these tests reflects his or her social class and family environment more than ability.