cronyism

Definition of Cronyism

(noun) The tendency to favor close friends and associates over more qualified applicants for employment, promotions, or in business deals.

Example of Cronyism

• The new president of a company hiring three unqualified friends to fill top management positions.

Cronyism Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: cro·ny·ism

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˈkroʊniˌɪzəm/
• British English – /ˈkrəʊnɪɪz(ə)m/

Usage Notes

• Plural: cronyisms
• A crony is close friend.
• Crony capitalism refers to any type of capitalism in which business-people and politicians have close relationships and is typically considered a type of corruption.
• Cronyism is informally referred to as the old boys’ network.
• Cronyism is often compared to nepotism.
• Cronyism is contrasted to a meritocracy.

Additional Information

• Word origin of “cronyism” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
• Norhashim, Mariati, and Kamarulzaman Ab Aziz. 2005. “Smart Partnership or Cronyism? A Malaysian Perspective.” International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 25(8):31–48. doi:10.1108/01443330510629081.
• Cronyism – World Wide Words: worldwidewords.org
• Favoritism, Cronyism, and Nepotism – Markkula Center for Applied Ethics: scu.edu

Related Terms

• anticipatory socialization
• capitalism
• discrimination
• group
• economics
• institution
• meritocracy
• peer group
• relationship
• social network

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Works Consulted

Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged. 6th ed. 2003. Glasgow, Scotland: Collins.

Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Cite the Definition of Cronyism

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “cronyism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 26, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/cronyism/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

cronyism. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/cronyism/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “cronyism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/cronyism/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“cronyism.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/cronyism/>.