Meaning & use
favoritism
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountabledisapproving
The unfair practice of giving better treatment to one person or group than to others.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'favoritism toward someone', not 'a favoritism'.
Patterns
- favoritism toward someone
- favoritism in something
- accusations of favoritism
The manager was accused of favoritism toward his friends.
There is no place for favoritism in a fair workplace.
The coach denied any favoritism in selecting the team.
Common combinations
- show favoritism
- The teacher was careful not to show favoritism to any student.
- accusations of favoritism
- The company faced accusations of favoritism in its hiring process.
- favoritism toward
- His favoritism toward his own department caused resentment.
- political favoritism
- Political favoritism can undermine public trust.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bias
- A general tendency to prefer one thing over another, which may be conscious or unconscious and not always unfair.
- nepotism
- Specifically favoritism shown to relatives, especially in giving them jobs.
- partiality
- A formal word for unfair preference, often used in legal contexts.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: favoritism or favorite?
favoritism vs favorite
As a noun, 'favorite' is the person or thing you like best; 'favoritism' is the unfair practice of treating your favorite better.
Practice
The supervisor was criticized for ______ when she promoted her nephew over more qualified candidates.
Choose one answer.
'Favoritism' is the noun for unfairly favoring one person. 'Favorite' is a noun or adjective for a preferred person or thing, 'favorably' is an adverb, and 'favor' as a noun means an act of kindness, so none fit the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “favoritism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.