meritocratic

adj

Etymology: From merit + -o- + -cratic or meritocrat + -ic.

1. Pertaining to a meritocracy.

   “Sixty years on from Young’s book, a pure product of meritocratic training has emerged to write what he hopes will be the epitaph for his class.”

   “And now Mr. Markovits is taking his message to the masses, with a big new book arguing that the meritocratic ideal has not only fed rampant inequality and hollowed out the middle class, but also threatens democracy itself.”