vested interest

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See synonyms for: vested interest / vested interests on Thesaurus.com

noun

a special interest in an existing system, arrangement, or institution for particular personal reasons.

a permanent right given to an employee under a pension plan.

vested interests, the persons, groups, etc., who benefit the most from existing business or financial systems.

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Origin of vested interest

First recorded in 1810–20

Words nearby vested interest

vestal, vestal virgin, vestal virgins, Vestavia Hills, vested, vested interest, vestee, Vesterålen Islands, vestiary, vestibular, vestibular nerve

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT VESTED INTEREST

What does vested interest mean?

A vested interest is a special interest in something due to a personal reason, especially the potential to benefit from the situation

If you didn’t study for a test and you ask your teacher to change the test date, you have a vested interest in their answer.

A vested interest is a personal stake, often tied to money or power, as in I have a vested interest in you winning this match—I bet a lot of money on you!

A company or organization can also have a vested interest, as in Tobacco companies have a vested interest in the prevention of any laws that would reduce smoking.

The plural vested interests is used to refer to those people or organizations that will benefit from a system, arrangement, or situation.

Example: As the owner of the company, Michelle had a vested interest in seeing it succeed.

Where does vested interest come from?

The first records of vested interest come from around the 1810s. In the phrase, the word vested means “secured” or “established.”

If you have a vested interest in a situation, you care very much about what happens—the situation has secured your interest.

Sometimes, a vested interest might create a conflict of interest—a situation in which someone stands to benefit personally by making a decision in their own interest instead of following their responsibility to act in the interest of others or the public.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for vested interest?

special interest

What are some words that share a root or word element with vested interest?

What are some words that often get used in discussing vested interest?

How is vested interest used in real life?

Vested interest is often used in situations when someone has something to gain from someone else’s success or failure.

Facebook walked itself into a media vortex in which exactly everyone who writes about Facebook has a vested interest in it looking stupid.

— David Uberti (@DavidUberti) October 2, 2017

No one likes conspiracy theories, but Apple has a vested interest in not optimizing iTunes for PC.

— Akash Suri (@akashsuri) November 15, 2010

I wouldn't say Bruce Willis is desperate for them to make more "Die Hard" movies but he does have a vested interest

— Tony Cowards (@TonyCowards) April 16, 2017

Try using vested interest!

Is vested interest used correctly in the following sentence?

The director wanted the film to be a success because he had a vested interest in it—professionally and financially.

How to use vested interest in a sentence

“Everyone has a vested interest in getting the world back to normal as quickly as possible,” said Jon Gieselman, President of Expedia Brands.
‘Everyone has a vested interest’: With delta variant and rising COVID-19 cases, brands recommit to vaccination campaigns|Kimeko McCoy|August 26, 2021|Digiday
So knowing all that, in some respects, there’s just this culture of fear that some people — it could be police unions or political interests — have a vested interest in promoting.
“Progressive prosecutors” are working within the system to change it. How is that going?|Jamil Smith|July 30, 2021|Vox
Of course, they have a huge vested interest in getting it right but that ultimately is a very good thing for the digital ad industry and its constituents as Google won’t make moves in the way Apple has.
Google’s delayed cookie cull is an inevitable intermission to its fractious pursuit of privacy protections|Seb Joseph|June 25, 2021|Digiday
Put your point of view in because a lot of the people attending these meetings are big players with big vested interests.
Ask the expert – Your top FLoC questions answered: How Google is testing cohorts, what FLoC means for B2B and how it works with cross-device browsing|Carolyn Lyden|June 23, 2021|Search Engine Land

Yet in light of their vested interests, and with an arsenal limited to vapid statements, this seems out of the question.
Israel-Palestine is a State of Permanent Conflict Punctuated by Periodic Carnage. Only the Watching World Can Stop It|Mouin Rabbani|May 13, 2021|Time
But in the case of black women, another study found no lack of interest.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But if you have a hearing and you prove that someone is mature enough, well then that state interest evaporates.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
While public interest in Ebola continues to dwindle, the epidemic itself continues to soar.
The Race for the Ebola Vaccine|Abby Haglage|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Lennon casually told some DC friends about it and found there was local interest in establishing Dinner Parties.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
At the same time, campaigns are spending less while the special-interest groups are spending more.
The 100 Rich People Who Run America|Mark McKinnon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the parish churches, many of which are of great interest, the predominant styles are Decorated and Perpendicular.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 4|Various
And with some expressions of mutual good-will and interest, master and man separated.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
A desultory conversation on politics, in which neither took the slightest interest, was a safe neutral ground.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
His also was the intellectual point of view, and the intellectual interest in knowledge and its deductions.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
She stabbed him, noting the effect upon him with a detached interest that seemed indifferent to his pain.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for vested interest

vested interest

noun

property law an existing and disposable right to the immediate or future possession and enjoyment of property

a strong personal concern in a state of affairs, system, etc, usually resulting in private gain

a person or group that has such an interest

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for vested interest

vested interest

A phrase that indicates a deep personal (and possibly financial) interest in some political or economic proposal: “As a major stockholder of the Ford Motor Company, Senator Bilge had a vested interest in legislation restricting the import of Japanese autos.” The plural, vested interests, often refers to powerful, wealthy property holders: “His radical policies enraged vested interests.”

Other Idioms and Phrases with vested interest

vested interest

A personal stake in something, as in She has a vested interest in keeping the house in her name. This term, first recorded in 1818, uses vested in the sense of “established” or “secured.”

vested interest

Origin of vested interest

Words nearby vested interest

MORE ABOUT VESTED INTEREST

What does vested interest mean?

Where does vested interest come from?

Did you know ... ?

How is vested interest used in real life?

Try using vested interest!

Words related to vested interest

How to use vested interest in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vested interest

Cultural definitions for vested interest

Other Idioms and Phrases with vested interest