What does favourite mean?

Definitions for favourite
favourite

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word favourite.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. front-runner, favorite, favouritenoun

    a competitor thought likely to win

  2. darling, favorite, favourite, pet, dearie, deary, duckynoun

    a special loved one

  3. favorite, favouriteadjective

    something regarded with special favor or liking

    "that book is one of my favorites"

  4. favorite, favouriteadjective

    appealing to the general public

    "a favorite tourist attraction"

  5. favored, favorite(a), favourite(a), best-loved, pet, preferred, preferentadjective

    preferred above all others and treated with partiality

    "the favored child"

Wiktionary

  1. favouritenoun

    A person who enjoys special regard or favour.

  2. favouritenoun

    A person who is preferred or trusted above all others.

  3. favouritenoun

    A contestant or competitor thought most likely to win.

    You were my favourite to win the spelling competition.

  4. favouriteverb

    To bookmark.

  5. favouriteverb

    To add to one's list of favourites on a website that allows users to compile such lists.

  6. favouriteadjective

    Preferred or liked above all others (unless qualified.)

    This is my second favourite occupation.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Favouritenoun

    Etymology: favori, favorite, French; favorita, Ital.

    Every particular master in criticism has his favourite passages in an author. Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 202.

    So fathers speak, persuasive speech and mild!
    Their sage experience to the fav’rite child. Alexander Pope, Odyssey.

    All favours and punishments passed by him, all offices and places of importance were distributed to his favourites. Philip Sidney.

    I was a Thessalian gentleman, who, by mischance, having killed a favourite of the prince of that country, was pursued so cruelly, that in no place but by favour or corruption they would obtain my destruction. Philip Sidney, b. i.

    The great man down, you mark, his fav’rite flies;
    The poor advanc’d, makes friends of enemies. William Shakespeare, Haml.

    Bid her steal into the plashed bower,
    Where honeysuckles, ripen’d by the sun,
    Forbid the sun to enter; like to favourites,
    Made proud by princes, that advance their pride
    Against that power that bred it. William Shakespeare.

    Nothing is more vigilant, nothing more jealous than a favourite, especially towards the waining time, and suspect of satiety. Henry Wotton.

    This man was very capable of being a great favourite to a great king. Edward Hyde.

    What fav’rites gain, and what the nation owes,
    Fly the forgetful world. Alexander Pope.

Wikipedia

  1. Favourite

    A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler. It was especially a phenomenon of the 16th and 17th centuries, when government had become too complex for many hereditary rulers with no great interest in or talent for it, and political institutions were still evolving. From 1600 to 1660 there were particular successions of all-powerful minister-favourites in much of Europe, particularly in Spain, England, France and Sweden.The term is also sometimes employed by writers who want to avoid terms such as "royal mistress", "friend", "companion", or "lover" (of any gender). Several favourites had sexual relations with the monarch (or the monarch's spouse), but the feelings of the monarch for the favourite ran the gamut from simple faith in the favourite's abilities to various degrees of emotional affection and dependence, and sometimes even encompassed sexual infatuation. The term has an inbuilt element of disapproval and is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "One who stands unduly high in the favour of a prince", citing Shakespeare: "Like favourites/ Made proud by Princes" (Much Ado about Nothing, 3.1.9).

ChatGPT

  1. favourite

    A favourite refers to a person or thing that is preferred, liked, or loved more than others, often chosen above all others in a given context or category. It's the one that is held in special regard or the most preferred.

Wikidata

  1. Favourite

    A favourite, or favorite, was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler. It is especially a phenomenon of the 16th and 17th centuries, when government had become too complex for many hereditary rulers with no great interest or talent for it, and political constitutions were still evolving. The period 1600-1660 saw particular successions of all-powerful minister-favourites in much of Europe, particularly in Spain, England, France and Sweden. The term is also sometimes employed by conservative writers who want to avoid terms such as "royal mistress", or "friend", "companion" or "lover" of either sex. Several favourites had sexual relations with the monarch, but the feelings of the monarch for the favourite covered the full gamut from a simple faith in the favourite's abilities, through various degrees of emotional affection and dependence, to sexual infatuation. The term has an inbuilt element of disapproval, and is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "One who stands unduly high in the favour of a prince", citing Shakespeare:"Like favourites/ Made proud by Princes".

Suggested Resources

  1. Favourite

    Favorite vs Favourite -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Favorite and Favourite.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'favourite' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3116

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'favourite' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3110

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'favourite' in Nouns Frequency: #1645

  4. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'favourite' in Adjectives Frequency: #414

How to pronounce favourite?

How to say favourite in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of favourite in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of favourite in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of favourite in a Sentence

  1. Chief Customer Officer Jill Easterbrook:

    One of the biggest things they've been saying is that they want prices which are simple, consistent and low, the changes we're making today are a first step in that direction -- and we've focused on many of the favourite brands customers choose every day.

  2. Yulia Vinogradova:

    Alexei was the favourite of the whole family, he united us and supported us.

  3. Marwan Kammoun:

    The childhood .. is my favourite scene! Life is going so fast!

  4. Frank Sinatra Bono:

    Miserere is one of my favourite of your father's crescendos, i can hardly remember what it was about... other than forgiveness that is... and a toast to being alive.

  5. Novak Djokovic:

    What happened 12 months ago was not easy to digest for some time but at the same time I had to move on. Those circumstances will not replace what I have lived in Melbourne Park and in Australia throughout my entire career, so I come with positive emotions and I really look forward to playing there. Melbourne Park’s been my favourite Grand Slam, the results prove that.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

favourite#1#3163#10000

Translations for favourite

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"favourite." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/favourite>.

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    being essentially equal to something
    A repugnant
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