favored
Americanadjective
-
regarded or treated with preference or partiality.
Her beauty made her the favored child.
-
enjoying special advantages; privileged.
to be born into the favored classes.
-
of specified appearance (usually used in combination).
ill-favored.
Other Word Forms
- favoredly adverb
- favoredness noun
- nonfavored adjective
- unfavored adjective
Etymology
Origin of favored
First recorded in 1350–1400, favored is from the Middle English word favo(u)red. See favor, -ed 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The central bank’s favored measure of inflation, the personal-consumption expenditures index, is running at a 3% annual rate.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026
Two that the secretary mentioned: negotiating most favored nation drug pricing with 16 large pharmaceutical companies and bringing health insurance CEOs “to the table to reform prior authorizations.”
From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026
The findings showed that mice strongly favored carbohydrate-rich foods and stopped eating their standard chow altogether.
From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026
Years ago, Beijing identified solar power and EVs as strategic sectors, prompting local governments to pour money into favored industries and creating cutthroat competition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Some suffragists favored more militancy, arguing that silence was a sign of weakness, not strength.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.