old boyism

noun

The existence and use of old boy networks.

Meanings

nounold boyism (uncountable)

alternative old-boyism

  1. uncountableThe existence and use of old boy networks.

    And even amongst those who are of the bachelor persuasion, there are not a few honest trumps who never exhibit old boyism.

    1866, Public Opinion - Volume 9, page 648
    2 more examples

    I think whatever kind of a frying pan we may be in now with respect to oversight might turn into a fire of old boyism if Congress became the court of last resort on all of these grants.

    1975, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Technology. Subcommittee on Science, Research, and Technology, National Science Foundation Peer Review

    Plain old power, the way it is usually practiced in the traditionally male-dominated environment, is the stuff of old boyism.

    1989, Sherry Suib Cohen, Tender Power: A Revolutionary Approach to Work and Intimacy, page 8

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

old boyism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20boyism

MLA

“old boyism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20boyism. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “old boyism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20boyism.

Source: old boyism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.