cronyism

noun cro·ny·ism \ ˈkrō-nē-ˌi-zəm \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Definition of cronyism

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

See cronyism defined for English-language learners

Examples of cronyism in a Sentence

The mayor has been accused of cronyism.

Recent Examples of cronyism from the Web

The scandal and another alleged cronyism case linked to Abe have stung him since last year and hurt his support ratings.

— Washington Post, "Japan’s prime minister heads to Russia for talks with Putin," 24 May 2018
And any one of those political actors can derail progress through corruption, cronyism or simple neglect.

— max fisher, amanda taub and dalia martÍnez, New York Times, "Losing Faith in the State, Some Mexican Towns Quietly Break Away," 7 Jan. 2018
An increasing government role in the economy has led to charges of cronyism and corruption, with critics complaining of insiders becoming fabulously wealthy on government contracts and sweetheart deals.

— new york times, BostonGlobe.com, "After winning new powers, Erdogan must now deliver," 25 June 2018
Petro and his team argue that Venezuela’s economic collapse and rampant hunger have more to do with corruption and cronyism than the country’s adherence to socialist policies.

— jim wyss, miamiherald, "How the chaos in Venezuela may influence who becomes president of Colombia," 15 June 2018
Its leaders a century ago shaped a system of public administration that sought to avoid cronyism and corruption by fragmenting power.

— chanan tigay, GQ, "Eric Garcetti Is the Anti-Trump, Pro–Star Wars Man We Need," 12 June 2018
Macri’s government has created hope that Argentina can implement international best practices and move away from the cronyism, poor governance, bad economic practices and populist policies of Macri’s predecessors.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Argentina’s cry for help: How the world can respond," 16 May 2018
A month ago, Nikol Pashinian, a bearded former journalist and skilled political orator, seemed an unlikely candidate to break a decade of one-party rule in Armenia that was tainted by corruption and cronyism.

— sabra ayres, latimes.com, "Armenia's Velvet Revolution culminates with opposition leader's election as prime minister," 8 May 2018
The term refers to the common use of nepotism and cronyism in daily life, especially in hiring.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "The source of Jordan’s river of discontent," 11 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cronyism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.