crony

CEFRB2

/ˈkɹoʊni/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A close friend, especially one who seems untrustworthy.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A trusted companion or partner in a criminal organization.

Examples

  • He appointed his close crony to the position of director.

  • Tom is a crony capitalist.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈkɹəʊni/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. An old woman; a crone.

  2. A close friend.

More examples

In context

  • Marry not an old crony.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

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Nearby

Origin

noun

Coined between 1655 and 1665 from Ancient Greek χρόνιος (khrónios, “perennial, long-lasting”); see also chrono- (“time”). Initially Cambridge University slang, in sense of “chum”, as “friend of long standing”, with illegal connotation later. Early spellings included chrony, as in 1665 diary by Samuel Pepys, supporting the Greek origin.