favoritism

noun

fa·​vor·​it·​ism ˈfā-v(ə-)rə-ˌti-zəm 

ˈfā-vər-

1

: the showing of special favor : partiality

2

: the state or fact of being a favorite

Examples of favoritism in a Sentence

He accused the teacher of showing favoritism in assigning grades.

Recent Examples on the Web

Her husband eventually confronted his parents about the favoritism. —Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025

However, since the retirement of NASA's space shuttle fleet in 2011, SpaceX has been the only American organization capable of flying people to and from orbit — a point that Isaacman made on Wednesday, stressing that going with Musk's company was not a sign of favoritism. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 4 Dec. 2025

Signs of a dog's favoritism include following them around, wagging their tail, maintaining consistent eye contact, showing affection, and rubbing their face against them. —Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025

Is the pay bump a result of favoritism? —Emily Nix, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for favoritism

• activism
• ageism
• albinism
• altruism
• aneurism
• animism
• aphorism
• atomism
• barbarism
• bolshevism
• botulism
• brahmanism

Kids Definition

favoritism

noun

fa·​vor·​it·​ism ˈfāv-(ə-)rət-ˌiz-əm 

: unfairly favorable treatment of some while neglecting others