I. ˈfāvə(r) noun
( -s )
Usage: see -or
Etymology: Middle English favour, favor friendly regard, attractiveness, from Old French favor friendly regard, from Latin, from favēre to be favorable; akin to Old High German gouma attention, Old Norse gā to heed, Old Slavic gověti to revere
1. archaic
a. : a quality that arouses approbation : charm
b. : appearance
c. : countenance , face ; also : a feature of the face
2.
a.
(1) : friendly regard, goodwill, or esteem shown toward another especially by a superior
a politican attempting to keep the favor of the voters
(2) : the act of approving or the state of being approved of : approbation
look with favor upon an enterprise
enjoy favor in an enterprise
(3) obsolete : the object of approval
his chief delight and favor — John Milton
b. : bias in favor : partiality
the judge showed favor toward the plaintiff
the students naturally showed favor toward their own team
c. archaic : leniency ; also : a lenient action
d. archaic : indulgence , permission , leave
e. : popularity
it was a fad, something that would lose favor quickly
3.
a. : kindness especially when marked by benevolence in the agent or great gratification in the one benefiting
enjoying the favor of a rich and generous patron
also : an act or instance of such kindness
showering favors on the needy and deserving
b. archaic : help , assistance
c. favors plural : effort in one's behalf or interest : attention
vying for the king's favors
also : the product of such effort or interest
magazines paid well for the young writer's favors
4.
a. : an object or token of favor (as a glove or ribbon) given especially formerly by a lady to a favored one (as a lover or a favored knight in a tournament) to be worn conspicuously
b. : appropriate knickknacks, small gifts, or amusing or decorative items (as crackers, noisemakers, corsages for the women, or souvenirs) given out at a celebration or party (as by placing at a place setting)
the younger element snapped frilly favors which blossomed into frivolous paper hats — Silas Spitzer
c. : emblem , badge
wore the Republican party favor
5.
a. : a special privilege or right granted or conceded
have the favor of a new trial
grant a favor to a good friend
dropped his sword and shouted for mercy, a favor that the Roman was pleased to bestow — L.C.Douglas
b. : sexual privileges or sexual intercourse usually as granted by a woman — usually used in plural or in the phrase the ultimate favor
her niece, a prostitute, had been granting her favors to policemen — M.R.Werner
a young woman … worked for a publishing firm and was generally supposed to have granted the ultimate favor to every male author on the list who sold over 20,000 copies — Clifton Fadiman
6. archaic : letter , communication
7.
a. : behalf , interest
a man who acts only in his own favor
b. : a difference that favors
of the speed of the two swimmers there is a slight favor for the first
•
- in favor of
- in one's favor
- out of favor
- under favor
II. transitive verb
( favored ; favored ; favoring -v(ə)riŋ ; favors )
Usage: see -or
Etymology: Middle English favouren, favoren, from favour, favor, n. — more at favor I
1.
a. : to regard or treat with favor, goodwill, or approval : show favor to : treat with consideration
favor any bill that cuts my taxes
as a father he favored little girls
also : to act in a way that encourages
the board favored the protection of labor without freezing it — Current Biography
b. : to do a kindness for or oblige especially with a gift
the author favored us with a copy of his latest book
also : to provide with a special quality, characteristic, or possession
he was favored with great intelligence and phenomenal good looks
c. : to treat gently or carefully : avoid overworking : spare
like a hound favoring a sore foot — Nelson Algren
sorry to hear you had a return of your rheumatism — I do hope you will favor yourself more — Walt Whitman
d. : to give (oneself) free course
typically tends to favor himself with special foods and laborsaving devices
2.
a. : to show partiality toward
the jurors clearly favored the defendant
a favored class of citizens
: side with
the neutral nations seemed to favor neither side
: to regard above others : prefer
the patient said he would favor a harder bed
especially : to prefer as a matter of passing favor or temporary enthusiasm or popularity
certain favored movie stars
the most favored gun on the skeet field today … seems to be the very heavy 12-gauge autoloader — Bob Nichols
b. : to choose as a favorite in or as if in betting
the Russians are favored to win — Samuel Reshevsky
c. : to tend to have as if by preference
in the spring, suits favored moderately full to very wide skirt hemlines — Collier's Year Book
3.
a. : to give support or confirmation to : sustain
adducing facts which favored his contention
: aid
he felt that God was favoring him in his efforts
b. : to afford advantages for success to : facilitate
the continued good weather distinctly favored the vacation trade
: be propitious for
a wind favoring their speedy return
high humidity favored the incidence of disease — G.G.Weigend
4. : to bear a resemblance to
the daughter rather favored the father's side of the family
Synonyms:
countenance , encourage : favor may be used in reference to a well-disposed inclination, an expressed preference, active support, or, more broadly, a circumstance or agency conducive to a result
a number of wealthy and influential Newport folk favored dramatic performances, although a majority of their fellow citizens continued to condemn them — American Guide Series: Rhode Island
in general the marshmen favor a broad, roomy canoe — Wilfred Thesiger
we had been favored by tail winds and would put down at Idlewild — Bennett Cerf
the summer weather at Maudheim favored the formation of this type of snow — Valter Schytt
countenance may indicate mere toleration; it may imply more positive favoring
really fail to see why you should countenance immorality just to please your father — Sheila Kaye-Smith
her popularity had been retrieved, grievances against her silenced, her past countenanced, and her present irradiated by the family approval — Edith Wharton
several of them appeared at the bar to countenance him when he was tried at the Horsham assizes — T.B.Macaulay
encourage indicates heartening stimulation, inciting or inducing especially by expressions of approval, confidence, liking, or comfort
openly encouraged from Germany and Italy, fascist organizations, although from time to time banned, carried on insidious and demoralizing propaganda — F.A.Ogg and Harold Zink
encouraged her in her ambition to be an actress — Current Biography
Synonym: see in addition oblige .