preferential

[ pref-uh-ren-shuhl ]

/ ˌprɛf əˈrɛn ʃəl /

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adjective

of, relating to, or of the nature of preference: preferential policies.

showing or giving preference: a preferential hiring system.

receiving or enjoying preference, as a country in trade relations; favored.

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Origin of preferential

1840–50; <Medieval Latin praeferenti(a) preference + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM preferential

pref·er·en·tial·ism, nounpref·er·en·tial·ist, nounpref·er·en·tial·ly, adverbnon·pref·er·en·tial, adjective

non·pref·er·en·tial·ly, adverbnon·pref·er·en·tial·ism, nounqua·si-pref·er·en·tial, adjectivequa·si-pref·er·en·tial·ly, adverb

Words nearby preferential

preferably, preference, preference share, preference shares, preference stock, preferential, preferential shop, preferential voting, preferment, preferred gender pronoun, preferred lie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use preferential in a sentence

The division’s staffers are supposed to adhere to a strict ethics code and forgo any public partisan activities because such actions could imply preferential treatment for a candidate or party and jeopardize the commission’s credibility.
Inspector General Urges Ethics Review at Federal Election Commission Following ProPublica Report|by Jake Pearson|August 12, 2021|ProPublica
It offered legacy admissions in the form of preferential or priority status to descendants of the sold slaves and, in 2019, promised to raise $400,000 per year for their benefit.
How America’s Original Sin Lives On|Sean Culligan|June 17, 2021|Ozy
Instead, it placed quotas on immigrants from the Western Hemisphere and instituted a preferential system that prioritized immigrants of the professional class and those with specialized skills.
The American Dream in the Back of a Sunoco|Trisha Gopal|May 26, 2021|Eater
There are complaints of preferential treatment of major arts groups — including Arena Stage, Studio Theatre and the National Building Museum — at the expense of smaller groups and organizations of color.
D.C. Mayor Bowser names new chairman of arts commission, which is facing accusations of cronyism and racism|Peggy McGlone|May 20, 2021|Washington Post

They’ve extended that to say everyone who we work with that is like us will get preferential treatment.
‘We should’ve done this right the first time’: GroupM North America CEO Kirk McDonald on responsible investing|Seb Joseph|May 3, 2021|Digiday
Hall even made it clear that his problem is less with the preferential admissions, but with the lack of transparency.
The University of Texas’s Machiavellian War on Its Regent|David Davis|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Either way, part of the tragedy and poignancy of polio is its preferential spread to babies and toddlers.
Who’s to Blame for Global Polio Emergency?|Kent Sepkowitz|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The preferential ballot will definitely favor Gravity, which I felt was a superior film anyway.
And the Best Picture Oscar Goes to… ‘12 Years A Slave,’ ‘Gravity,’ or ‘American Hustle?’|Kevin Fallon, Marlow Stern|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Crony capitalism,” for example, typically refers to preferential relationships between politicians and business interests.
Sarah Palin’s Left-Right Mash-Up|David Sessions|September 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Jews enjoy preferential access to land ownership throughout most of the country.
Do Israelis Exist?|David Kaufman|April 12, 2010|DAILY BEAST
In 1894 a second Conference was held at Ottawa, mainly to discuss intercolonial preferential trade.
The Canadian Dominion|Oscar D. Skelton
The other Premiers agreed to consider whether Canada's preferential tariff policy could be followed.
The Canadian Dominion|Oscar D. Skelton
This is the weak point in Preferential Voting; any small section can ensure the rejection of a general favourite.
Proportional Representation Applied To Party Government|T. R. Ashworth and H. P. C. Ashworth
As for the idea of the preferential Union shop, it had undoubtedly been gaining ground.
Making Both Ends Meet|Sue Ainslie Clark and Edith Wyatt
They almost mobbed the East Side leaders, with their voluble questioning about the preferential Union shop.
Making Both Ends Meet|Sue Ainslie Clark and Edith Wyatt

British Dictionary definitions for preferential

preferential

/ (ˌprɛfəˈrɛnʃəl) /

adjective

showing or resulting from preference

giving, receiving, or originating from preference in international trade

Derived forms of preferential

preferentiality (ˌprɛfəˌrɛnʃɪˈælɪtɪ), nounpreferentially, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

preferential

Origin of preferential

OTHER WORDS FROM preferential

Words nearby preferential

Words related to preferential

How to use preferential in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for preferential

Derived forms of preferential