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
The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits favoritism by guaranteeing equal protection of the laws.
—
Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 16 Apr. 2024
Bickering and political favoritism also complicated the work of bipartisan commissions in Montana, New Jersey, and New York.
—TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
Stan blames his eldest, a peer of Harry’s who chafed at his father’s favoritism toward an outsider.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
Although companies like OpenAI offer special programs to give researchers access, the letter argues this setup fosters favoritism, with companies hand-selecting their evaluators.
—Nitasha Tiku, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
Racial-conscious admissions is not favoritism but restoration.
—Olamide Dozier-Williams, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2024
Labrada is among the highest-ranking officers to publicly accuse the LAPD leadership of favoritism and bias, and his case has deeply divided the department, with factions forming between those who agree with some of his allegations and those who find his condemnations self-serving.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Last summer, French police raided the country’s Olympic headquarters as part of a corruption investigation that prosecutors said was related to favoritism when awarding contracts.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
The customer favoritism is widening a gap in stock performance, too.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024
Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 16 Apr. 2024
Bickering and political favoritism also complicated the work of bipartisan commissions in Montana, New Jersey, and New York.
—TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
Stan blames his eldest, a peer of Harry’s who chafed at his father’s favoritism toward an outsider.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
Although companies like OpenAI offer special programs to give researchers access, the letter argues this setup fosters favoritism, with companies hand-selecting their evaluators.
—Nitasha Tiku, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
Racial-conscious admissions is not favoritism but restoration.
—Olamide Dozier-Williams, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2024
Labrada is among the highest-ranking officers to publicly accuse the LAPD leadership of favoritism and bias, and his case has deeply divided the department, with factions forming between those who agree with some of his allegations and those who find his condemnations self-serving.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Last summer, French police raided the country’s Olympic headquarters as part of a corruption investigation that prosecutors said was related to favoritism when awarding contracts.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
The customer favoritism is widening a gap in stock performance, too.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'favoritism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near favoritism
Cite this Entry
“Favoritism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/favoritism. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
favoritism
noun
fa·vor·it·ism
ˈfāv-(ə-)rət-ˌiz-əm
: unfairly favorable treatment of some while neglecting others
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