CRONY Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

crony

noun

ˈkrō-nē

Definition of crony

as in associate

a person frequently seen in the company of another the criminal's cronies were also closely questioned about the illegal gambling operation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in friend

a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another only my cronies can call me by my nickname

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of crony Of course, 90 percent bankrolled by Sepp Blatter and his cronies, the critical flop (a zero Rotten Tomatoes rating) and commercial loser ($171,000 at the box office against a $30 million budget, America’s lowest-grossing opening ever) was never going to paint a well-balanced picture. — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026 Meanwhile, Springfield Democrats shouldn’t be quaking in their shoes at this temper tantrum from their cronies in organized labor. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026 His nod to the benefits of low taxes is in his crony capitalist vow to expand tax credits for the film industry. — Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 31 May 2026 This represents one major leap in the direction of authoritarianism — the president directly raiding the public offers to enrich cronies, not just via his corrupt business dealings and pseudo-bribes from foreign governments, but straight up getting checks from the public treasury. — New York Daily News, Twin Cities, 28 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for crony

Recent Examples of Synonyms for crony

Noun

Large data centers also use a lot of electricity, which can destabilize the power grid and lead to outages, said Rachel Mural, a senior research associate at the Harvard Kennedy School.

— Alexandra Phelps, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
Public interest in the files has remained high amid longstanding speculation about Epstein’s associates and whether additional government records exist.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026

Definition of associate

Noun

Court documents state that Goldbourne met the girl through mutual friends and the two texted to plan a time to meet up.

— Kairi Lowery, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
Her friend offered a cigarette and Cai, searching her brain for a reason to say no, couldn’t find one.

— Jessica M. Goldstein, Washington Post, 14 July 2026

Definition of friend

Noun

The need became more evident after the unexpected death of a City Hall colleague on February, a loss that deeply affected employees across the city, Salgado said.

— Verónica Egui Brito July 15, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
The circuit made by Coles and colleagues didn’t actually run on ambient noise, which was too low-level to affect the dynamics.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2026

Definition of colleague

Noun

Apple Original Films has dropped the first trailer for Mayday, the upcoming action-buddy-comedy starring Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh ahead of its September 4 bow on Apple TV.

— Denise Petski, Deadline, 14 July 2026
Creator Tessa Coates centers her buddy comedy on two women who are both very, very alike and very, very different.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026

Definition of buddy

Noun

The consignor was later identified as an accomplice in a separate auction fraud case in Hebei province.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026
Investigators spent months tying Gavrilys to the crimes through cell phone location records, surveillance video, vehicle registrations and testimony from an alleged accomplice.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2026

Definition of accomplice

Noun

Most of Future’s peers in the post-Lil Wayne digital-trap era of the early 2010s, from fellow Atlanta stars Young Thug and 2 Chainz to Southern boldfaced names like Kodak Black and Kevin Gates, have faded back into the regional-rap morass.

— Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2026
After five rounds, only about 30 percent of the cells have inherited a full copy of the original genome, according to the team’s findings, which were reported on the preprint server bioRxiv and have not yet been peer-reviewed.

— Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 14 July 2026

Definition of peer

Noun

For a while, they were known for their commitment to community work and to racial equality, and also for a willingness to show up at protests and support comrades in need.

— Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026
And so background noise doesn’t distract your comrades, the headset uses a highly sensitive unidirectional microphone to silence noise from your rig and other background noise.

— Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 14 July 2026

Definition of comrade

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crony

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“Crony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crony. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of crony

noun

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