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

For a party that eschews political favoritism, this policy was designed to benefit a demographic that consistently votes Democratic. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 May 2025

And one in five employees have begun freelancing or started their own business to escape favoritism in traditional workplaces. —Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025

Legal authority to change tax-exempt status belongs solely to the IRS and it is supposed to use that power without political favoritism. —Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025

Although algorithmic favoritism had long been suspected across platforms, Musk’s unapologetic approach dispensed with the pretense of neutrality that tech companies had carefully maintained. —Jackie Snow, Quartz, 14 Apr. 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