# meritocracy

> English word · Noun · IPA /mɛɹɪˈtɒkɹəsi/ · frequency rank #50,066

## Definitions
1. Rule by merit and talent.
2. A type of society where wealth, income, and social status are assigned through competition.

## Etymology
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 1958 book The Rise of the Meritocracy.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/meritocracy