favorable
Americanadjective
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characterized by approval or support; positive.
a favorable report.
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creating or winning favor; pleasing.
to make a favorable impression.
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affording advantage, opportunity, or convenience; advantageous.
a favorable position.
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(of an answer) granting what is desired.
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boding well; propitious.
The signs are favorable for a new start.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of favorable
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Middle French, from Latin favōrābilis; equivalent to favor + -able
Explanation
The word favorable describes something positive or promising, such as a two-thumbs-up movie review or the perfect conditions for golf. When things are going well, or in your favor, they’re favorable. Favorable is an adjective that describes approval or good conditions for something. If you wrote a book, you’d want the reviews to be favorable. If the weather is favorable, it's sunny out and perfect for a picnic. If you wanted to go swimming, thunderstorms would be unfavorable: they would ruin your plans. Favorable situations make us smile.
Vocabulary lists containing favorable
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 3
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Content Summary G.3: Spatial Reorganization
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Charlotte's Web
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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.
Other owners had to give up their favorable loans to move for a new job or a divorce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Additional quantum mechanics calculations confirmed that this pathway can be especially favorable when hydrogen is transferred to intermediates containing oxygen.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Continued economic growth, resilient earnings, more reasonable valuations, and generally favorable seasonal trends and historical precedent suggest the cycle still has further room to run,” he concludes.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
In the Pacific, El Nino's effect on the atmosphere leaves little vertical wind shear over the Pacific, creating favorable conditions for hurricanes to intensify.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
I had some vague idea that it wasn’t too favorable, but I had never sought out the hard evidence.
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
