cronyism

noun

cro·​ny·​ism ˈkrō-nē-ˌi-zəm 

: partiality to cronies especially as evidenced in the appointment of political hangers-on to office without regard to their qualifications

Did you know?

The word cronyism evolved in the 19th century as a spin-off of crony, meaning “friend” or “pal.” In its younger days, cronyism simply meant “friendship,” or “the ability to make friends.” The word didn’t turn bad until the next century, when Americans starting using it to refer to the act of playing political favorites. If cronyism is new to your vocabulary, perhaps you’re more familiar with the related term nepotism, meaning “favoritism based on kinship, especially in professional and political contexts.”

Examples of cronyism in a Sentence

The mayor has been accused of cronyism.

Recent Examples on the Web

The absence of corruption, scandal, self-dealing and cronyism makes this a revitalizing break from real-world concerns, without in any way veering into sappy idealism. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025

Applied broadly, this approach of empowering competition rather than cronyism will incentivize innovation and entrepreneurship and help restore our past economic vitality. —Wayne Winegarden, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Probation Commissioner Juanita Holmes received a dressing down Tuesday from First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro over her leadership of the agency, which is coming under mounting scrutiny amid allegations of cronyism and mismanagement, the Daily News has learned. —Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2025

But even where governments did embrace reforms, cronyism and corruption ensured that protectionism endured. —Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cronyism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

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