nepotism

noun

nep·​o·​tism ˈne-pə-ˌti-zəm 

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

accused the company of fostering nepotism in promotions

nepotistic

ˌne-pə-ˈti-stik 

adjective

Did you know?

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

That disease is called nepotism, a pervasive affliction that transcends gender, reinforcing a broad spectrum of biases. —Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

Jones’ father was one of the state’s most powerful machine Democrats who often batted away allegations of nepotism and famously gave a boost to the budding political career of Barack Obama, who rose from the Illinois Senate to eventually become president. —Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025

In 2022, reports emerged of Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) allegedly accusing Buckley of using nepotism to get his job in Banks' office. —Jessica Sager, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025

As for underlying causes, some, like Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, pointed to networking — and nepotism. —Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French népotisme, from Italian nepotismo, from nepote nephew, from Latin nepot-, nepos grandson, nephew — more at nephew

First Known Use

1670, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing nepotism

• anti-nepotism
• nepotism baby

Rhymes for nepotism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

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Kids Definition

nepotism

noun

nep·​o·​tism ˈnep-ə-ˌtiz-əm 

: favoritism shown to a relative (as in the distribution of political offices)