favorable

adjective

fa·​vor·​able ˈfā-v(ə-)rə-bəl 

ˈfā-vər-bəl

1

a

: disposed to favor : partial

taking a favorable attitude toward our request

b

: expressing approval : commendatory

The movie received a favorable review.

c

: giving a result that is in one's favor

a favorable comparison

d

: affirmative

a favorable reply

2

: winning approval : pleasing

a favorable impression

3

a

: tending to promote or facilitate : advantageous

a favorable wind

b

: marked by success

a favorable demonstration of a new invention

favorability

ˌfā-v(ə-)rə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

ˌfā-vər-

noun

favorableness noun

favorably

ˈfā-v(ə-)rə-blē 

ˈfā-vər-blē

adverb

Synonyms of favorable

• positive
• good

Choose the Right Synonym for favorable

favorable, auspicious, propitious mean pointing toward a happy outcome.

favorable implies that the persons involved are approving or helpful or that the circumstances are advantageous.

favorable weather conditions

auspicious applies to something taken as a sign or omen promising success before or at the start of an event.

an auspicious beginning

propitious may also apply to beginnings but often implies a continuing favorable condition.

a propitious time for starting a business

Examples of favorable in a Sentence

The new play got many favorable reviews.

He was given a favorable recommendation.

Early test results were favorable.

Recent Examples on the Web

Public support for Gantz, who had become the most favorable political figure among Israelis in the wake of October 7, declined rapidly for his failure to either sway Netanyahu’s decision-making or force early elections to replace him. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026

But that document alone can’t obviate constitutional provisions a future government might invoke to return to an earlier status quo that’s more favorable to Moscow (and by extension Beijing), and adversarial to everyone else. — Ilan Berman, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

About half of Democrats overall have a favorable impression of Mamdani and only about 1 in 10 have an unfavorable view of him, while the rest, about 39%, don’t have an opinion. — Steve Peoples, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

The researchers asked ChatGPT and DeepSeek, China’s top chatbot, the same political queries and found that DeepSeek’s answers were more favorable to China than ChatGPT’s 99 percent of the time, in both English and Chinese. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

see favor entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for favorable

• unfavorable

Kids Definition

favorable

adjective

fa·​vor·​able ˈfāv-(ə-)rə-bəl 

ˈfā-vər-bəl

1

: showing favor : approving

a favorable reply

2

: promising, advantageous

favorable weather for the fair

favorableness noun

favorably

-blē 

adverb