nepotism

noun

nep·o·tism ˈne-pə-ˌti-zəm

Synonyms of nepotism next

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

accused the company of fostering nepotism in promotions

nepotistic

ˌne-pə-ˈti-stik

adjective

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Nepotism Has Papal Origins

We happen to have neither Merriams nor Websters on our staff at Merriam-Webster, and familial connections to the company’s founders do not provide an advantage to job applicants. If it were otherwise, we might be accused of nepotism—that is, favoritism based on kinship, especially in professional contexts. English speakers have kept nepotism in the family since the late 1600s, having adopted it from the French, who were inspired by Gregorio Leti's 1667 book Il nipotismo di Roma (English title: The History of the Popes' Nephews). The book explores a practice introduced by Pope Sixtus IV: during his papacy in the late 15th century he granted many special favors to members of his family, in particular to his nephews. This practice of papal favoritism was carried on by his near successors. Today, nepotism is mostly associated with business and politics. In recent informal English use, the shortened form nepo has been hitched to the denigrating term baby to refer especially to celebrities who had a parent (or two) who were also in the entertainment industry.

Examples of nepotism in a Sentence

Nepotism has hurt the company.

Recent Examples on the Web The selection drew criticism from basketball fans who believed Bronny was given the spot due to nepotism, but Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka quickly squashed the idea. —

Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 6 Aug. 2024 Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets in 2011 to protest the corruption and nepotism that had characterized Saleh’s presidential regime. —

Asher Orkaby, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2017 Many are acting as if nepotism hasn’t been around for centuries, or that similar situations don't already exist in many other industries or that white people haven’t used nepotism for their advancement all the time. —

Giana Levy, refinery29.com, 27 June 2024 The unification, inspired in part by the discovery of oil fields along the North-South border, placed Saleh in a position to siphon billions of dollars into his own personal accounts and to fund a network of nepotism that helped centralize his control over the new Yemeni Republic. —

Asher Orkaby, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2017 See all Example Sentences for nepotism

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nepotism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.