favorite

especially British, fa·vour·ite

[fey-ver-it, feyv-rit]

noun

1. a person or thing regarded with special favor or preference.

   That song is an old favorite of mine.

2. Sports.,  a competitor considered likely to win.

3. a person or thing popular with the public.

4. a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, official, etc..

   favorites at the court.

5. Digital Technology.,  bookmark.

adjective

1. regarded with particular favor or preference.

   a favorite child.

Other Word Forms

• nonfavorite noun
• prefavorite noun
• unfavorite adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of favorite¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Middle French, from Italian favorito, “favored,” past participle of favorire “to favor, support,” from favore “favor, goodwill”; favor, -ite ²

Example Sentences

It’s one of my favorite parts of our story because it shows there’s a man in denial, right?

From Los Angeles Times

Which brings me to the consent theory of power, a favorite of theorists and agitators from way back, updated by Gene Sharp, an advocate of nonviolent resistance.

From Salon

And in the last year, I visited many splurge-worthy favorites that brought me so much joy.

From Salon

Frankly, these are currently tied with TJ’s Sour Strawberry Candy Belts for my top favorite sour candy.

From Salon

So just to add to the arguability of the following list, we’ve also noted a favorite song or two from each movie, the song titles often becoming surprise summations of the plots themselves.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• beloved 
• cherished www.thesaurus.com
• favored 
• main 
• popular 
• prized www.thesaurus.com
• treasured www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

Spelling tips for favorite

The word favorite is hard to spell for two reasons. First, in British English it is spelled with a u (favourite), unlike the American English spelling favorite. Second, the final e is silent.How to spell favorite:  When you do someone a favor, you don't do it for yourself. So, there is no u in favor. Now that we have the beginning of the word down, how do we remember the e in -ite? Well, it wouldn't be anything without an Ending (an e at the end). Put the two together and you get favorite.