favourite
adjective · noun · verb
Simple meaning
Liked more than any other of the same kind.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fayveritSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfeɪvɚɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
superlative
Most-liked. (In other words, [person]'s favorite [noun] = the [noun] that [person] likes the most.)
noun
A person or thing who enjoys special regard or favour.
A contestant or competitor thought most likely to win.
A person who is preferred or trusted above all others.
in the plural
A short curl dangling over the temples, fashionable in the reign of Charles II.
verb
To favour.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A person or thing who enjoys special regard or favour.
Used this way, favourite is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use favourite
- “My favourite color is blue, especially a light sky blue.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.