meritocratadj.n.
/ˈmɛrᵻtəkrat/, U.S. /ˈmɛrədəˌkræt/ A. adj.
Belonging to a meritocracy; meritocratic.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > rule of any class or persons > [adjective] > of educated people
meritocratic1958
meritocrat1960
society > authority > rule or government > rule of any class or persons > ruling class or group > [adjective]
squattocratic1854
meritocratic1958
meritocrat1960
1960 20th Cent. Apr. 358 They teach their future rulers, oligarchic or meritocrat, how to acquire and wield power.
1967 New Scientist 10 Aug. 308/1 Public subsidy of the future meritocrat elite is efficient, but inequitable.
1985 Rev. Eng. Stud. Feb. 130 Is Hughes's roosting hawk a meritocrat hero?
B. n.
An adherent or advocate of meritocracy; a member of a meritocracy.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > rule of any class or persons > [noun] > of educated people > supporter or member of
meritocrat1961
society > authority > rule or government > rule of any class or persons > ruling class or group > [noun] > of educated people > member of
meritocrat1961
1961 D. Jenkins Equality & Excellence vi. 110 One of [Michael] Young's most unlikely prognostications is that the best public schools will be taken over by the meritocrats.
1975 Times Lit. Suppl. 2 May 471/2 Keynes..was a meritocrat—not a democrat.
1989 Independent 8 Apr. 14 As a self-made man, he was an exemplar of the Tory meritocrat of the Sixties.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1960