favorite 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of favoritenext
1
as in loved
granted special treatment or attention that teacher claims not to have any favorite students, although many in the class would disagree

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in preferred
singled out from a number or group as more to one's liking mint chocolate chip is my favorite flavor of ice cream

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in popular
enjoying widespread favor or approval a radio station that mostly plays favorite songs from the 1960s and 1970s

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

favorite

2 of 2

noun

ˈfā-v(ə-)rət How to pronounce favorite (audio)
as in darling
a person or thing that is preferred over others the youngest child was always Mother's favorite

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of favorite
Adjective
Miami is the clear favorite in the ACC and Mensah could put up some big numbers along the way. — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 These noteworthy towns didn't make the top 10 Didn’t see your favorite small-town paradise in the top 10? — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
Cats and reigning champ Carolina are co-favorites at +650 via DraftKings, with FLA alone as fave per Fan Duel. — Greg Cote august 23, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026 Team Penske teammates Logano and Ryan Blaney are the 1A and 1B favorites. — Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for favorite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for favorite
  1. loved
  2. preferred
  3. popular
  4. darling
  5. beloved
  6. selected
  7. fashionable
  8. preference
Adjective
  • Kennedy says that this shift in tone didn’t stem from her personal feelings but from the whistleblowers and the families who lost loved ones.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The rest of the photos showed Elizabeth side-by-side with her loved ones, including a silly photo of Elizabeth and Collins in a pool.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of loved
Adjective
  • But who needs to worry about whether your own front door is locked when the preferred strategy is to go around kicking in everyone else’s doors, wrestling with them on their own front lawns, then declaring victory over them 152 times (and counting)?
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Allows seat depth to be adjusted so users can better match the seat to their leg length and preferred sitting position.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of preferred
Adjective
  • Fedorov, a popular minister credited with modernizing Ukraine’s armed forces and accelerating the military’s embrace of technology and drone warfare, was dismissed last month after reportedly falling out with the country’s top military commander.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • In June a popular Iranian singer, Parastoo Ahmadi, together with eight members of her band and production team, were sentenced in Qom to 74 lashes and banned from leaving the country for two years.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of popular
Noun
  • The Beloved will face stiff competition from fellow Cannes darling La Bola Negra, which has many fans.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Every year brings a handful of new Netflix darlings — Adolescence dominated the awards circuit just last year!
    — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of darling
Adjective
  • Damage to the remains could complicate evidence The discovery of human remains that set off a firestorm of questions about a possible link to Guthrie developed during an agonizing, monthslong search for the beloved mother.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • In true Richards’ fashion, of course, Kyle transfers her distress into throwing yet another one of her overwrought white parties, whose guest list is filled with a caravan of beloved names in the Bravo-verse.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of beloved
Adjective
  • Some cool features include a kill switch that automatically disconnects you from the internet if the VPN connection fails, as well as split tunneling that allows selected apps to use the VPN connection while others transmit data in clear text.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 25 June 2026
  • These pre-selected fighter pilots and their families moved into their apartments during the summer of 1960 after residing at the Frunze Central Airfield in Moscow.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 May 2026
Definition of selected
Adjective
  • Their original running shoes are functional, but the fresh FP Movement drop is seriously fashionable.
    — Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Advertisement Dreams have not always been a fashionable target of study.
    — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of fashionable
Noun
  • The Athletic reported in June that the midfielder expressed a preference to move on but bids from Nottingham Forest and Newcastle were rejected.
    — Jay Harris, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • These protective factors probably explain the correlation between household income and chatbot preference.
    — Alex Hartman, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of preference

Browse Nearby Words

favoring
favorite
favorites
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Favorite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/favorite. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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