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

Brad Keselowski has fired back at NASCAR on X by quoting a fan's post, suggesting favoritism in flag rulings. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025

And a lot of it was focused on — or at least the public attention was often drawn to — corruption and favoritism within these assessors' offices. —Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025

In Chicago, for instance, the county tax assessor was at the nucleus of this broad system of political patronage and favoritism. —Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Ultimately, achieving true energy dominance requires embracing all viable options without bias or favoritism. —David Williams, Baltimore Sun, 7 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