meritocracy
noun
mer·i·toc·ra·cy
ˌmer-ə-ˈtä-krə-sē
plural meritocracies
: a system, organization, or society in which people are chosen and moved into positions of success, power, and influence on the basis of their demonstrated abilities and merit (see merit entry 1 sense 1b)
Only the elite, in that new meritocracy, would enjoy the opportunity for self-fulfillment …—Robert Penn Warren
Though founded theoretically on principles of meritocracy, the public arena was parceled into spheres of personal influence …—Mac Margolis
A paradox lies at the heart of this new American meritocracy. Merit has replaced the old system of inherited privilege … . But merit, it turns out, is at least partly class-based. Parents with money, education and connections cultivate in their children the habits that the meritocracy rewards.—Janny Scott et al.
also
: the people who are moved into such positions
a member of the meritocracy
France remains a tightly centralized nation, run by a governmental and business meritocracy carefully prepared for positions of power in elite graduate schools. —Jim Hoagland
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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