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

Trump officials say any such favoritism violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law that forbids discrimination in education and other public places and was created to fight segregation and its effect. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Trump officials say any such favoritism violates Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law that forbids discrimination in education and was created to fight segregation and its impact. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Most obvious, Black candidates for elite jobs, grants, and prizes, who had previously faced many barriers, were benefiting, in various institutions and workplaces, from a new kind of favoritism. — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026

And yet, wild cards and home-country favoritism remain pro forma in tennis, even though at every tournament there are plenty of players, ranked far higher than the people awarded special entry, who are on the outside looking in. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for favoritism

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

Kids Definition

favoritism

noun

fa·​vor·​it·​ism ˈfāv-(ə-)rət-ˌiz-əm 

: unfairly favorable treatment of some while neglecting others