nepotism

[ nep-uh-tiz-uhm ]

noun

1. patronage bestowed or favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship, as in business and politics:

   She was accused of nepotism when she made her nephew an officer of the firm.

nepotism

/ nɪˈpɒtɪk; ˈnɛpəˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. favouritism shown to relatives or close friends by those with power or influence

nepotism

1. Favoritism granted to relatives or close friends, without regard to their merit. Nepotism usually takes the form of employing relatives or appointing them to high office.

Derived Forms

• ˈnepotist, noun
• nepotic, adjective

Other Words From

• ne·pot·ic [n, uh, -, pot, -ik], nepo·tistic nepo·tisti·cal adjective
• nepo·tist noun
• anti·nepo·tism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nepotism¹

From the Italian word nepotismo, dating back to 1655–65. See nephew, -ism

Word History and Origins

Origin of nepotism¹

C17: from Italian nepotismo, from nepote nephew , from the former papal practice of granting special favours to nephews or other relatives

Example Sentences

This brought forth elements of partiality and nepotism that eroded the military effectiveness of Mamluks in the long run.

From Realm of History

Despite charges of nepotism, the younger Menendez has only attracted minor primary opposition, so he’ll likely be the district’s next representative.

From FiveThirtyEight

Nepotism and connections give certain coaches a leg up on others, while upward mobility appears inexplicably easier for those who didn’t play at a high level than for those who did.

From FiveThirtyEight

He recently came under fire, accused of nepotism for awarding PPE contracts to a fashion company that pays his son to show its clothes on his Instagram channel.

From Time

The big twist is that by requesting those documents, Hall did in fact uncover a nepotism problem plaguing UT admissions.

From The Daily Beast

Corruption and nepotism are rampant in the Afghan Army and “it would collapse without U.S. financial support,” the major says.

From The Daily Beast

This is a brand new work by Lucy Hogg (yes,  my wife – nepotism 'r us), from a series documenting how people use art museums.

From The Daily Beast

A Haaretz editorial was more explicit, dubbing the election of Yosef and Lau “a victory for nepotism.”

From The Daily Beast

This is not the first time Sirleaf has been charged with nepotism.

From The Daily Beast

But Dredge was only thirty-four, and some people seemed to feel that there was a kind of deflected nepotism in Lanfear's choice.

From Project Gutenberg

He exposed the nepotism of bishops, the worldliness of clergymen, and the indifference of Church-people to religion in general.

From Project Gutenberg

Home is the nest of nefarious nepotism, and between that and disparaging prejudice, countless youths go to the devil.

From Project Gutenberg

In the Sacred College as elsewhere nepotism and an exaggerated estimate of temporal interests were rife.

From Project Gutenberg

The influence of nepotism on sub-infeudation, in the case of ecclesiastical fiefs, is too important to be passed over.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bias
• discrimination
• inequity
• partisanship