wasta

W4A1S1T1A1

noun

Intercession or mediation by people on behalf of others to whom they are connected by friendship or blood

Similar
connectionsnepotismcronyism
OriginArabic وَاسِطَة →
RareScrabble 8
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Meanings

nounwasta (plural wastas)

plural wastas

  1. Arab society; often italicized; Arab society; often italicizedIntercession or mediation by people on behalf of others to whom they are connected by friendship or blood

    The number of those traveling to the US during summer may definitely have gone down, but if one can hook onto a wasta, one could get into the queue of applicants without having to get up early in the morning.

    2003 June 15, Syed Rashid Husain, “'Wasta' at US Embassy”, in Arab News

    Synonyms: connections, nepotism, cronyism

Synonyms & antonyms

nounIntercession or mediation by people on behalf of others to whom they are connected by friendship or blood

Similar
connectionsnepotismcronyism
Also see
cronyism

Origin

  1. Arabicوَاسِطَة
  2. Arabicوَاسِطَة
  3. Englishwasta

Borrowed from Arabic وَاسِطَة (wāsiṭa).

More words from Arabic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Wasat
Cite this entry
APA

wasta. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wasta

MLA

“wasta.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wasta. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wasta,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wasta.

Source: wasta on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.