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
front-runner, favorite, favouritenoun
a competitor thought likely to win
darling, favorite, favourite, pet, dearie, deary, duckynoun
a special loved one
favorite, favouriteadjective
something regarded with special favor or liking
"that book is one of my favorites"
favorite, favouriteadjective
appealing to the general public
"a favorite tourist attraction"
favored, favorite(a), favourite(a), best-loved, pet, preferred, preferentadjective
preferred above all others and treated with partiality
"the favored child"
Wiktionary
favouritenoun
A person who enjoys special regard or favour.
favouritenoun
A person who is preferred or trusted above all others.
favouritenoun
A contestant or competitor thought most likely to win.
You were my favourite to win the spelling competition.
favouriteverb
To bookmark.
favouriteverb
To add to one's list of favourites on a website that allows users to compile such lists.
favouriteadjective
Preferred or liked above all others (unless qualified.)
This is my second favourite occupation.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
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
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
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
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
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
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'favourite' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3116
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'favourite' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3110
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'favourite' in Nouns Frequency: #1645
Adjectives Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'favourite' in Adjectives Frequency: #414
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of favourite in Chaldean Numerology is: 4
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of favourite in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9
Examples of favourite in a Sentence
If it continues to pace the way it's pacing we're going to be massive Denver Broncos fans. We're going to want the favourite-to-win-but-not-cover scenario, a Broncos win wouldn't be disastrous, but it wouldn't be the best-case scenario for us.
Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body. In the end, submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life.
What surprised us most was how much he absolutely loved it, it seemed very intuitive for him to cup it within his hands and then lift to his mouth to drink/suckle. We put apple juice in it as that was his favourite drink. I think it is interesting that although the forms change tremendously -- the vessels are very individual -- they do seem to retain a basic bowl/cup shape that fits perfectly within a baby's cupped hands. I would also say I think this shows us the love and care these prehistoric people had for their babies. They are almost toys as well as baby bottles and surely would have make the infants laugh.
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.
The childhood .. is my favourite scene! Life is going so fast!
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Translations for favourite
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- фаворит, любимецBulgarian
- oblíbenýCzech
- LieblingGerman
- αγαπημένηGreek
- lellikkiFinnish
- préféré, favoriFrench
- पसंदीदाHindi
- favorit, kedvencHungarian
- אהובHebrew
- お気に入りJapanese
- ventusLatin
- favorittNorwegian
- faworyt, ulubieniec, ulubienicaPolish
- favoritoPortuguese
- favorit, favorităRomanian
- любимец, фаворит, фаворитка, любимчикRussian
- favoritSwedish
- kipenziSwahili
- பிடித்தTamil
- favoriTurkish
- улюбленийUkrainian
- 喜爱Chinese
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"favourite." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/favourite>.
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