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 instance, Ford's pardon of Nixon was intended to prevent further national division but was perceived by many as an act of political favoritism, leading to a significant drop in Ford's approval ratings. —Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

Read More: How Israel and Its Allies Lost Global Credibility If Trump’s favoritism for Israel put the two-state solution into cardiac arrest, the Israel-Hamas war of 2023-24 placed it on life support. —Peter L. Hahn / Made By History, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025

Goodell threw cold water on the notion that there was any favoritism toward the Chiefs. —Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 4 Feb. 2025

College programs will show favoritism for NFL names to curry favor, just in case. —Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Jan. 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