0 a social system, society, or organization in which people get success or power because of their abilities, not because of their money or social position:
The company is a meritocracy. Good work is rewarded with promotions.
1 a social system or organization in which people reach positions of power based on their abilities rather than their money, family connections, etc.:
Built into most anti-colonial ideology were radical commitments to modernization and a pronounced antipathy to anything other than democracy and meritocracy.
The strong attachment to merit (hence meritocracy) ensures that the most competent are not only recruited but rise to leadership levels in the civil service.
These include restoring meritocracy, improving accountability and competitiveness.
Conservatives counter that society will be hurt by any departure from strict meritocracy.
But love, like literature, is neither a meritocracy nor a redemption that exalts the faithful.
There are slippery terms employed here - intellectuals, the thinking classes, the upper middle classes, elites, meritocracy.
As mentioned earlier, it was a question of cronyism/nepotism versus utilitarianism/meritocracy.
They would not appreciate the revolutionary potential of meritocracy until it was too late.
