nepotism

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noun nep·o·tism \ ˈne-pə-ˌti-zəm \

Definition of nepotism

:favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship

accused the company of fostering nepotism in promotions

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nepotistic

play \ˌne-pə-ˈti-stik\ adjective

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nepotism was our Word of the Day on 05/22/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of nepotism in a Sentence

Nepotism has hurt the company.

Recent Examples of nepotism from the Web

The relationship has been a controversial one, drawing accusations over the years of favoritism and nepotism.

— patrick o'donnell, cleveland.com, "Charter school sponsor gets a "free pass" from failing grades with split from University of Toledo," 28 Aug. 2017
More than 220,000 people signed a petition against the initial plans for her position, accusing the president of nepotism.

— Washington Post, "World Digest: Aug. 21, 2017," 21 Aug. 2017
To paraphrase a joke about nepotism from the old show How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, blood is thicker than water in this White House, and Jared Kushner is thicker than anything.

— frank rich, Daily Intelligencer, "John Kelly Is Destined to Fail," 2 Aug. 2017
Nepotism — and letting the love of your son interfere with the good of the team.

— mike bianchi, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Is Doc Rivers going down the same nepotism road as Bobby Bowden?," 19 July 2017
The very fact that his daughter is senior adviser smacks of the kind of nepotism not seen since John F. Kennedy named Robert F. Kennedy as Attorney General.

— maya rhodan, Time, "'Very Standard.' Donald Trump Defends Ivanka's G20 Seat-Filling," 11 July 2017
Ivanka, 35, sat with the leaders of China, Russia, Turkey, Germany and Great Britain, prompting many to condemn her lack of qualifications and accuse the Trump administration of nepotism.

— the tylt, OregonLive.com, "Was it wrong for Ivanka to sit in for President Trump at the G-20?," 10 July 2017
Ivanka Trump has inspired at least one Hollywood writer to practice a little nepotism.

— lynette rice, EW.com, "The Wire creator mocks Ivanka Trump's seat-filling at G-20 Summit," 9 July 2017
In November, Yangon’s chief minister filed a lawsuit against both the editor and CEO of Eleven Media Group, alleging defamation after an editorial was published accusing an unnamed minister of corruption and nepotism in a local real estate dealing.

— colin hinshelwood, Time, "The Arrest of Three Journalists Shows a Disturbing Lack of Press Freedom in Democratic Myanmar," 6 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nepotism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

nepotism Has Papal Origins

During his papacy from 1471-1484, Sixtus IV granted many special favors to members of his family, in particular his nephews. This practice of papal favoritism was carried on by his successors, and in 1667 it was the subject of Gregorio Leti's book Il Nepotismo di Roma-titled in the English translation, The History of the Popes' Nephews. Shortly after the book's appearance, nepotism began to be used in English for the showing of special favor or unfair preference to any relative by someone in any position of power, be it ecclesiastical or not. (The "nep-" spelling is from nepote, a 17th-century variant of Italian nipote, meaning "nephew.")