Meritocracy

noun (countable and uncountable)

/ˌmerɪˈtɒkrəsi/

A system in which advancement, power, and social rewards are allocated on the basis of individual ability, achievement, and demonstrated competence rather than hereditary privilege, wealth, or political connections. The term was coined satirically by British sociologist Michael Young in his dystopian novel The Rise of the Meritocracy (1958) to critique a society that fetishises exam performance while ignoring structural inequality. In India, the Union Public Service Commission's (UPSC) competitive examination is the formal meritocratic gateway to the Civil Services, though scholars note that socio-economic capital shapes access to preparation itself.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Critics of India's civil services recruitment argue that a genuinely meritocratic system must address the upstream inequalities in school quality and coaching access that determine who can realistically compete in the UPSC examination, rather than treating the examination alone as the guarantor of fairness.

Synonyms

ability-based systemtalent-based hierarchycompetitive selectiontechnocracy (partial)credentialism

Antonyms

aristocracynepotismoligarchyplutocracypatronage system

🌱 Word Family

meritocrat (noun), meritocratic (adj), meritocratically (adv), meritocratise (verb)

🔡 Root

Latin meritum = that which is deserved, reward (merere = to deserve, earn); Greek -kratia = rule (kratos = power)

📜 Etymology

Coined in 1958 by Michael Young in The Rise of the Meritocracy (published by Thames & Hudson), blending Latin meritum 'desert, reward' with Greek -kratia 'rule'. Young intended the word as a warning, not a compliment — his fictional meritocracy was a dystopia. By the 1970s, however, the term had shed its ironic charge in public discourse and acquired a broadly positive connotation of fair, ability-based selection.

🧠 Memory Hook

MERIT + CRACY = rule by those who MERIT it. Latin merere = 'to earn' — a meritocracy gives power to those who have EARNED it through ability, not those who inherited it. Contrast with ARISTO-cracy (rule by the 'best born') — here it is rule by the 'best proven'.

🏛️ Governance 📖 Seen in: Good Governance — Metrics, Indices & G...

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