favourite

English

Alternative forms

• favorite (US)

Etymology

Attested from the 1580s, borrowed from Middle French favorit, from Old French favorit or Italian favorito (“favoured, favourite”), past participle of Italian favorire (“to favor”), from favore, from Latin favor (“good will, favor”), from the verb faveō (“I favour”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂weh₁yeti (“to be favourable to”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to shine, glow light”). Doublet of favori.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

favourite (British, Ireland, Commonwealth)

1. Preferred or liked above all others (unless qualified).

   Antonyms: least favorite, unfavourite, unfavorite

   This is my second favourite occupation.

   • 2004, Brigid Lowry, Guitar Highway Rose:

     The Nanny is one of Pippa's favourite shows, but tonight the pleasure of mindlessly blobbing out in her usual Sunday-laid-back-luxury style...

2. Belonging to a category whose members are all preferred or liked over nonmembers.

   I just saw a movie with all my favourite actors in it.

Translations

preferred

• Afrikaans: gunsteling (af)
• American Sign Language: Open8@Chin-PalmBack Contact Contact
• Arabic: مُفَضَّل (mufaḍḍal)

  Egyptian Arabic: مصاحب (muṣāḥib)

• Assamese:

  Central: আটাইতকে ভাল লাগা (ataitke bhal laga)

  Eastern: আটাইতকৈ ভাল লগা (ataitkoi bhal loga)

• Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܡܲܛܐܒ݂ܵܐ m (maṭˀḇā), ܝܲܬܝܼܪ ܡܘܼܚܸܒܵܐ ܥܲܠ (yatīr mūḥibbā ˁal)
• Asturian: favoritu, preferíu
• Azerbaijani: sevimli (az)
• Belarusian: улюбёны (uljubjóny), любі́мы (ljubímy)
• Bhojpuri: पसंदीदा (pasandīdā)
• Bulgarian: предпочи́тан (bg) (predpočítan), люби́м (bg) (ljubím)
• Catalan: favorit, preferit (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 最喜愛的 / 最喜爱的 (zuì xǐ'ài de)

• Czech: nejoblíbenější (cs)
• Danish: yndlings-
• Dutch: favoriet (nl), lievelings-, geliefkoost
• Esperanto: plej ŝatata, plej preferata
• Estonian: lemmik (et)
• Finnish: lempi-, mieli-, lemppari (fi)
• French: préféré (fr), favori (fr)
• Galician: favorito, preferido
• Georgian: საყვარელი (saq̇vareli), ფავორიტი (ka) (pavoriṭi)
• German: Lieblings- (de), liebster (de), bevorzugter (de)
• Greek: αγαπημένος (el) (agapiménos), ευνοούμενος (el) m (evnooúmenos)
• Hebrew: מועדף \ מָעֳדָף (mo'odáf), רָצוּי (he) (ratsúi)
• Hindi: पसंदीदा (hi) (pasandīdā)
• Hungarian: kedvenc (hu)
• Indonesian: kesukaan (id)
• Italian: preferito (it), favorito (it), amato (it) m
• Japanese: お気に入りの (おきにいりの, o-ki-ni-iri-no), 最も好きな (もっともすきな, mottomo-suki-na), 大好きな (だいすきな, dai-suki na)
• Korean: 제일 좋아하는 (jeil joahaneun), 가장 좋아하는 (gajang joahaneun), 최애(最愛) (ko) (choeae) (colloquial)
• Latvian: mīļākais
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: омилен (omilen)
• Malay: kegemaran
• Maori: rorotu
• Norman: favori (Jersey)
• Norwegian: favoritt, yndlings
• Persian: مورد علاقه (mowred-e 'alâqe), محبوب (fa) (mahbub)
• Polish: ulubiony (pl)
• Portuguese: favorito (pt), preferido, predileto
• Romanian: favorit (ro) m, favorită (ro) f
• Russian: люби́мый (ru) (ljubímyj), излю́бленный (ru) (izljúblennyj)
• Sanskrit: प्रिय (sa) (priya)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: о̀миљен, најдражи

  Roman: òmiljen (sh), najdraži (sh)

• Slovak: obľúbený
• Slovene: najljubši
• Spanish: favorito (es), preferido (es), predilecto (es), ganchito (es) m (student, Argentina)
• Swedish: favorit- (sv), älsklings- (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: en sevdiği, gözde (tr), favori (tr)
• Ukrainian: улю́блений (uljúblenyj), люби́мий (ljubýmyj)
• Urdu: پسندیدہ (pasandīda), دل پسند (dil-pasand)
• Vietnamese: được ưa thích
• Yiddish: באַליבט (balibt)

Noun

favourite (plural favourites) (British, Ireland, Commonwealth)

1. A person or thing who enjoys special regard or favour.

   The teacher's favourite always went first.

   Antonyms: unfavourite, unfavorite

2. A person who is preferred or trusted above all others.

   Synonym: top dog (most preferred)

   Synonym: darling (most loved)

3. A contestant or competitor thought most likely to win.

   You were my favourite to win the spelling competition.

   She's the favourite, she'll probably be elected.

   • 2012 June 9, Owen Phillips, “Euro 2012: Netherlands 0 – 1 Denmark”, in BBC Sport‎^[1], archived from the original on 4 November 2016:

     Netherlands, one of the pre-tournament favourites, combined their undoubted guile, creativity, pace and attacking quality with midfield grit and organisation.

4. (Internet) A bookmark in a web browser.
5. (in the plural) A short curl dangling over the temples, fashionable in the reign of Charles II.
   • 1701, George Farquhar, Sir Harry Wildair:

     the Favourites hang loose upon the Temples with a languishing Lock in the middle

Derived terms

• hot favourite
• unbackable favourite

Related terms

• favor
• favorable
• favour

 

Translations

person who enjoys special regard or favour

• American Sign Language: ^{(please verify)} Open8@Chin-PalmBack Contact Contact
• Belarusian: любі́мец m (ljubímjec), улюбёнец m (uljubjónjec), улюбе́нец m (uljubjénjec), фавары́т m (favarýt)
• Bulgarian: люби́мец (bg) m (ljubímec), фавори́т (bg) m (favorít)
• Catalan: favorit m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 寵兒 / 宠儿 (zh) (chǒng'ér)

• Dutch: favoriet (nl) m or f
• Finnish: lellikki (fi), suosikki (fi)
• French: favori (fr), ^{(please verify)} chouchou (fr), ^{(please verify)} préféré (fr)
• Galician: favorito m, privado (gl)
• German: Liebling (de) m, Favorit (de) m
• Greek: ^{(please verify)} προτίμηση (el) f (protímisi)
• Hungarian: kedvenc (hu)
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} uppáhald (is) n
• Indonesian: favorit (id)
• Italian: favorito (it) m
• Japanese: お気に入り (おきにいり, okiniiri)
• Maori: makau, paruhi, ^{(please verify)} whakapuhi
• Persian: سوگلی (fa) (sowgoli)
• Polish: ulubieniec (pl) m, ulubienica f, beniaminek (pl) m, pupil (pl) m
• Portuguese: favorito (pt), ^{(please verify)} preferido m
• Romanian: favorit (ro) m, favorită (ro) f
• Russian: люби́мец (ru) m (ljubímec), фавори́т (ru) m (favorít), фавори́тка (ru) f (favorítka), люби́мчик (ru) m (ljubímčik)
• Spanish: favorito (es) m
• Swedish: favorit (sv) c
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} gözde (tr)
• Ukrainian: улю́бленець m (uljúblenecʹ), улю́бленик m (uljúblenyk), укоха́нець m (ukoxánecʹ), лю́бленець m (ljúblenecʹ), фавори́т m (favorýt)
• Welsh: ffefryn m

person who is preferred or trusted above all others

• Bulgarian: люби́мец (bg) m (ljubímec)
• Finnish: suosikki (fi)
• French: favori (fr)
• German: Liebling (de) m, Favorit (de) m
• Persian: سوگلی (fa) (sowgoli)
• Portuguese: favorito (pt)
• Swahili: kipenzi (sw)

contestant or competitor thought most likely to win

• Bulgarian: фавори́т (bg) m (favorít)
• Dutch: favoriet (nl) m or f
• Finnish: ennakkosuosikki, suosikki (fi)
• French: favori (fr)
• German: Favorit (de)
• Greek: φαβορί (el) n (favorí)
• Hungarian: favorit (hu)
• Italian: favorito (it) m
• Polish: faworyt (pl) m
• Portuguese: favorito (pt)
• Russian: фавори́т (ru) m (favorít), фавори́тка (ru) f (favorítka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: фаво̀рӣт m

  Roman: favòrīt (sh) m

• Swedish: favorit (sv) c
• Turkish: gözde (tr)

Verb

favourite (third-person singular simple present favourites, present participle favouriting, simple past and past participle favourited) (British, Ireland, Commonwealth)

1. To favour.
2. (Internet) To bookmark.
3. (Internet) To add to one's list of favourite items on a website that allows users to compile such lists.

   Antonyms: unfavourite, unfavorite

Derived terms

• fave

Translations

to add to favourites

• Portuguese: favoritar
• Swedish: favoritmarkera