Link Centre Dictionary

meritocracy

me·ri·toc·racy

UK/mɛɹɪˈtɒkɹəsi/ US/mɛɹəˈtɑkɹəsi/ uncommon

noun

1.

a form of social system in which power goes to those with superior intellects

2.

the belief that rulers should be chosen for their superior abilities and not because of their wealth or birth

Origin

From merit + -o- + -cracy, coined by British sociologist Alan Fox in 1956 in an article in Socialist Commentary from May 1956, used as a derisive term, and popularized by British sociologist Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington in his book The Rise of the Meritocracy (1958).

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.