as in bias
the unfair practice of treating some people better than others
The favoritism of the boss led to many disgruntled employees. He accused the teacher of showing favoritism in assigning grades.
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Recent Examples of favoritism
The complaints also included racial microaggressions, penalization for taking medical leave, fear of retaliation for raising concerns, favoritism by executive producers and unexpected terminations.
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Vivian Kwarm, New York Daily News, 10 July 2024
For all its drawbacks, a period of uncertainty and delay would not be nearly as dangerous as the appearance of favoritism.
—Bronwyn Bruton, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2013
Moderators didn't fact-check Harris, which led to grumbling of favoritism by Trump and his supporters, who claimed the debate had been three against one.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024
Their interactions are probably going to be closely watched by other colleagues for any hint of favoritism, which adds to the strain.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for favoritism 
Vivian Kwarm, New York Daily News, 10 July 2024
For all its drawbacks, a period of uncertainty and delay would not be nearly as dangerous as the appearance of favoritism.
—Bronwyn Bruton, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2013
Moderators didn't fact-check Harris, which led to grumbling of favoritism by Trump and his supporters, who claimed the debate had been three against one.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024
Their interactions are probably going to be closely watched by other colleagues for any hint of favoritism, which adds to the strain.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for favoritism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for favoritism
Noun
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Musk quickly sued the commission, accusing it of political bias and exceeding its authority.Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
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There are also other valid concerns about AI power demands and AI bias.David Nield, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The company settled a legal proceeding with CAKE Software, Inc., resulting in the discontinuation of the action with prejudice.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 15 Nov. 2024
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Even before his passing, in 2020, a report in Forbes.com outlined how Dr. Zimbardo extended his research to study heroism and overcoming the ‘bystander effect’ and prejudice.Eric Wood, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Did these doctors finally do a little reading and discover what nepotism is?Laura Bradley, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
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The Harvard Law School alum also revealed that these decisions regarding nepotism are made very intentionally by his girls.Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Our stories have focused on the conflicts of interest Trump’s stake in the company present and allegations of mismanagement and cronyism within the company.ProPublica, ProPublica, 7 Nov. 2024
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Research from the Brookings Institution found that democracy leads to economic growth while democratic decline contributes to instability, cronyism, and brain drain.Ian Simmons, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Favoritism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/favoritism. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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