In practice
Google now treats it as a hint rather than a rule, so a nofollowed link is not necessarily ignored.
Use the more specific attributes where they apply: sponsored for paid, ugc for user-generated.
Why it matters
It is how a site links to something without endorsing it — a source it cannot vouch for, or a paid placement.
Nofollowed links still send traffic, brand exposure and referral data, which a link audit by attribute alone misses.
Related terms