CRONY Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

crony

noun

ˈkrō-nē

Definition of crony

as in associate

a person frequently seen in the company of another the criminal's cronies were also closely questioned about the illegal gambling operation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in friend

a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another only my cronies can call me by my nickname

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of crony Ilham Aliyev continued his father’s dictatorial legacy, imprisoning his critics and enriching his family and cronies, while polishing his country’s image by hosting Formula One events and the Eurovision Song Contest. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026 The happy couple weren’t even able to celebrate Lucy saying yes to the big question Tim popped while down on knee, because they were immediately tranquilized and kidnapped by an Everett crony. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026 After Putin invaded Ukraine, Western governments grabbed almost two dozen luxury vessels to punish him and his cronies. — Giacomo Tognini, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 Daniel isn’t this devil’s only minion; Armand’s got an Illumination movie’s worth of cronies doing his bidding. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for crony

Recent Examples of Synonyms for crony

Noun

State health authorities who have been fighting the opioid crisis for decades are still surprised by the drop, said Evan Gumas, a senior research associate at the Commonwealth Fund.

— Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
Well, this elevated me in Wendell’s eyes from solicitous writer/actor/film associate to a person who works with his/her hands to craft furniture and other heroic implements from wood.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of associate

Noun

Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley estended her condolences to victim’s friends and family.

— Elgin Courier-News, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
More messages arrived over Discord, X, WhatsApp, and even from a colleague who had been asked by a friend to see whether Fabian would correct his story to say that the explosion had been caused by interceptor fragments.

— Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of friend

Noun

Brand fans have spotted the pieces on everyone from colleagues to Hailey Bieber and Taylor Swift, and Dorsey is now an eight-figure business, according to the company.

— Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
My Sun colleagues back at the paper’s Fleet Street office had just discovered that Jagger was planning to reunite with Hall, the glamorous cover girl and catwalk star, in Paris.

— Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of colleague

Noun

Then again, being that Vought has been pushing his buddy POTUS to back a federal incentive since May 2025 to little success until today, let’s see what the follow through here really is before anyone starts planning the parade.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
The committee would eventually disband without an answer, despite the fact that Selig had helped engineer the sale of the team in 2005 to Lew Wolff, an old University of Wisconsin frat buddy, and John Fisher.

— Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of buddy

Noun

Trout and Neto reached out to an unnamed Rams player on Tuesday to gather intel on their new owner, who has a sterling reputation amongst his NFL peers.

— Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Unlike some of its contemporary peers, AllSaints is not rushing back to the runway.

— Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of peer

Noun

Always in motion, Ortiz shuttled in and out of the apartment over the next few days, writing reports in code, meeting with trade-union comrades.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026
Complications with medical clearance and a promise made to his fallen comrade force him to remain in the Ukrainian capital despite his desire to get back to the frontline.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of comrade

Browse Nearby Words

cronies

crony

cronyism

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Style

“Crony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crony. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of crony

noun

Example Sentences

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