merit system

American  

noun

1. a system or policy whereby people are promoted or rewarded on the basis of ability and achievement rather than because of seniority, quotas, patronage, or the like.

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merit system British  

noun

1. the system of employing and promoting civil servants solely on the basis of ability rather than patronage Compare spoils system

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Etymology

Origin of merit system

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The restored merit system will apply to freshmen entering the school in the fall of 2023.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2022

“The merit system of making appointments is in its essence as democratic and American as the common school system itself,” Teddy Roosevelt remarked in 1901.

From New York Times • Oct. 26, 2019

They believe that a merit system that selects immigrants based on individual skills should replace the current system.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2018

Theodore Roosevelt championed the merit system, and by the end of his term in 1909, the classified umbrella covered two thirds of the federal workforce.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2016

Beginning in the fifties, less discrimination, a truer merit system, and leveler playing fields existed inside the gates of our military posts more than in any Southern city hall or Northern corporation.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore