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favor

[ fey-ver ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act:
to ask a favor.
friendly or well-disposed regard; goodwill:
to win the favor of the king.
Antonyms: ,
the state of being approved or held in regard:
to be in favor at court; styles that are now in favor.
excessive kindness or unfair partiality; preferential treatment:
to treat some people with favor and others with neglect.
a gift bestowed as a token of goodwill, kind regard, love, etc., as formerly upon a knight by his lady.
Synonyms:
a ribbon, badge, etc., worn in evidence of goodwill or loyalty, as by an adherent of a political party.
a small gift or decorative or festive item, as a noisemaker or paper hat, often distributed to guests at a party.
Usually favors. sexual intimacy, especially as permitted by a woman.
Archaic. a letter, especially a commercial one.

verb (used with object)

to regard with favor:
to favor an enterprise.
Synonyms: , ,
Antonyms:
to prefer; treat with partiality:
The father favored his younger son.
to show favor to; oblige:
The king favored him with an audience.
Synonyms: ,
to be favorable to; facilitate:
The wind favored their journey.
to deal with, treat, or use gently:
to favor a lame leg.
to aid or support:
He favored his party's cause with ample funds.
Synonyms: ,
to bear a physical resemblance to; resemble:
to favor one's father's side of the family.

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Other Word Forms

�ڲ�v�ǰ�·�� noun
��v��·�ڲ�v�ǰ� verb (used with object)
��·�ڲ�v�ǰ� noun verb (used with object)
�ܲ�·�ڲ�v�ǰ�·��Բ� adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of favor¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English favo(u)r, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin �ڲ��ō��- (stem of favor ) “goodwill,” derivative of �ڲ��ŧ�� “to be favorably inclined” + -ō��- -or ¹

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

find favor with, to gain the favor of; be liked by:
The play found favor with the opening-night audience.
in favor of,
1. on the side of; in support of:
  to be in favor of reduced taxation.
2. to the advantage of.
3. (of a check, draft, etc.) payable to:
  Make out your checks in favor of the corporation.
in one's favor, to one's credit or advantage:
All the comments were in your favor.
out of favor, no longer liked or approved; no longer popular or fashionable:
He's out of favor with the president and may soon be fired.

More idioms and phrases containing favor

see curry favor ; in favor of ; in favor with ; in one's favor ; out of favor ; return the compliment (favor) .

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Synonym Study

Favor, goodwill imply a kindly regard or friendly disposition shown by an individual or group. Favor may be merely an attitude of mind: to look with favor on a proposal. Goodwill is more active and leads often to outward manifestations of friendly approval: By frequent applause the audience showed its goodwill toward the speaker.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The Oilers, desperate to get back in the series, benched goalie Stuart Skinner, who allowed 11 goals in the first two games, in favor of Calvin Pickard.

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Trump alleges the program was deceptively edited to favor Harris, a charge that 1st Amendment experts say is spurious.

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“Now? There are clear signs of erosion which points to change in global asset allocation trends which don’t favor the U.S. dollar. We sense this is a structural shift,” he said.

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Charles got where he is today by being born, but that doesn't mean he isn't one of very few people in the world who have succeeded spectacularly in turning the public tide toward his favor.

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And anecdotally, as I mentioned, I have witnessed again and again birdwatchers disregarding some birds in favor of flashier ones.

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Favonius favorable

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