as in bias
the unfair practice of treating some people better than others
The favoritism of the boss led to many disgruntled employees. He accused the teacher of showing favoritism in assigning grades.
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Recent Examples of favoritism
The lifetime of favoritism put significant strains on sibling relationships growing up.
—
R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
And there’s a kind of auction of government favoritism going on in Washington.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Maps would prioritize population equality, compactness, contiguity, and communities of interest, with no favoritism toward incumbents.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
The Bediako case is a nice counterexample to the favoritism argument; the first judge stepped aside when his relationship with the university, or at least the coverage and commentary surrounding it, was too close-knit to be ignored, and the second judge ruled against his alma mater.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for favoritism
R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
And there’s a kind of auction of government favoritism going on in Washington.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Maps would prioritize population equality, compactness, contiguity, and communities of interest, with no favoritism toward incumbents.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
The Bediako case is a nice counterexample to the favoritism argument; the first judge stepped aside when his relationship with the university, or at least the coverage and commentary surrounding it, was too close-knit to be ignored, and the second judge ruled against his alma mater.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for favoritism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for favoritism
Noun
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The lawsuit against a Coca-Cola distributor signals a historic shift for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces federal law on workplace bias.—
Joanna Slater,
Washington Post,
31 Mar. 2026
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Worryingly, the researchers found the models had a tendency to find evidence of pathologies in the phantom images, showing that the models may have a bias towards diagnosing disease that could lead to dangerous and expensive misdiagnoses if used in real-world medical settings.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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James Baldwin's insight emphasizes the necessity of confronting issues like prejudice and bullying, which require ongoing leadership action; in a video lesson, Kim Scott offers practical strategies to foster respectful team culture and effectively address harmful behaviors.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
1 Apr. 2026
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Given the scale of that publicity, the risk of prejudice is significant.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Missouri Auditor’s Office began investigating the village in 2024 after receiving a whistleblower complaint alleging nepotism and conflicts of interest.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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But nepotism rules everything around me, so why not The Immortal Man?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Bagley and Jordon apparently believe that their elitism and tech-bro cronyism are reasonable political positions.—
John Samuelsen,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
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But controversial government efforts to redress inequalities have been plagued by corruption and cronyism.—
Michael H Gavshon,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Favoritism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/favoritism. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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