disfavor

1 of 2

noun

dis·​fa·​vor (ˌ)dis-ˈfā-vər How to pronounce disfavor (audio)
1
: disapproval, dislike
practices looked upon with disfavor
2
: the state or fact of being no longer favored
fell into disfavor
3

disfavor

2 of 2

verb

disfavored; disfavoring; disfavors

transitive verb

: to withhold or withdraw favor from

Examples of disfavor in a Sentence

Noun He regarded their proposal with disfavor. They looked with disfavor upon her. Verb The current laws favor large businesses and disfavor smaller businesses. a style of stage acting that is disfavored by most theatergoers today
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Eleanor Roosevelt, who had viewed Mesta’s appointment with disfavor, dropped into the duchy and changed her mind after seeing her in action. Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025 Trump's much deeper in personal disfavor, seen favorably by 37%, unfavorably by 60%. Gary Langer, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
The Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis may further help the Trump administration dismantle diversity policies that, by favoring some categories of employees, disfavor others. Dan Eaton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025 For Darwin, adaptations were the result of mutations leading to trait variation among individuals in a population, which were then filtered through conditions in a local environment, favoring certain variants and disfavoring others. Jessica Riskin, The New York Review of Books, 6 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for disfavor

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably from Middle French desfaveur, from des- dis- + faveur favor, from Old French favor

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1570, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of disfavor was circa 1533

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Cite this Entry

“Disfavor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disfavor. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

disfavor

1 of 2 noun
dis·​fa·​vor (ˈ)dis-ˈfā-vər How to pronounce disfavor (audio)
1
: dislike entry 1, disapproval
practices looked upon with disfavor
2
: the state or fact of being disliked or disapproved
fell into disfavor

disfavor

2 of 2 verb

More from Merriam-Webster on disfavor

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