Meaning & use

crony

noun·Advanced

A close friend or companion, often one favored unfairly in business or politics.

See it in a sentence

The mayor was accused of giving contracts to his cronies instead of qualified bidders.

He and his cronies met every Friday for cards at the same bar.

A note on using this word

Crony usually carries a negative tone, especially in the term cronyism, which describes favoritism toward friends rather than merit-based decisions.

Words with a similar meaning

accompliceassociate

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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