disfavor

American  

[dis-fey-ver] / dɪsˈfeɪ vər /

especially British, disfavour

noun

1. unfavorable regard; displeasure; disesteem; dislike.

   The prime minister incurred the king's disfavor.

2. the state of being regarded unfavorably; disrepute.

   The fashions of one year are in disfavor the next.

3. a disadvantageous or detrimental act; disservice.

   The pianist did himself a disfavor in trying to sing.

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verb (used with object)

1. to regard or treat with disfavor.

Other Word Forms

• disfavorer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of disfavor

First recorded in 1525–35; dis- ¹ + favor

Explanation

When you disapprove of someone, you disfavor them. The wicked stepmother in "Cinderella" favored her own daughters but disfavored poor Cinderella. Thank goodness for that glass slipper. You probably know your parents well enough that it's perfectly obvious when you've fallen into their disfavor. This probably only means they're annoyed or angry at you, although in some cases disfavor can mean true dislike. You can also use this word as a verb: "The political system disfavors people who don't have much money."

Example Sentences

DeGeneres gets whole videos to herself, many posted just this year as Ellen Disfavor Fever mounted: “Top 10 Times Celebs Clapped Back at Ellen.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2020

Disfavor, as it must to all favorites, came to blunt Rex Tugwell; he was shipped off to Puerto Rico, where for the past four years he has been the island's controversial governor.

From Time Magazine Archive

The public servant who has stolen or lied, If called on, may resign with honest pride: As unjust favor put him in, why doubt Disfavor as unjust has turned him out?

From The Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell by Lowell, James Russell

Related Words

• disapprobation
• disapproval
• dislike
• displeasure
• dissatisfaction