Meritocracy - Definitions from Dictionary.com

4 results for: Meritocracy

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

mer·i·toc·ra·cy

Audio Help [mer-i-tok-ruh-see] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -cies.

1.	an elite group of people whose progress is based on ability and talent rather than on class privilege or wealth.

2.	a system in which such persons are rewarded and advanced: The dean believes the educational system should be a meritocracy.

3.	leadership by able and talented persons.

[Origin: 1955–60; merit + -o- + -cracy

]

—Related forms

mer·i·to·crat·ic

Audio Help [mer-i-tuh-krat-ik] Pronunciation Key, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Meritocracy

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

mer·i·toc·ra·cy Audio Help (měr'ĭ-tŏk'rə-sē) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. mer·i·toc·ra·cies

A system in which advancement is based on individual ability or achievement.
1. A group of leaders or officeholders selected on the basis of individual ability or achievement.
2. Leadership by such a group.

mer'it·o·crat' (-ĭ-tə-krāt') n., mer'it·o·crat'ic adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

meritocracy
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

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
meritocracy [(mer-i-tok-ruh-see)]

A government or society in which citizens who display superior achievement are rewarded with positions of leadership. In a meritocracy, all citizens have the opportunity to be recognized and advanced in proportion to their abilities and accomplishments. The ideal of meritocracy has become controversial because of its association with the use of tests of intellectual ability, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, to regulate admissions to elite colleges and universities. Many contend that an individual's performance on these tests reflects his or her social class and family environment more than ability.

[Chapter:] Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology

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