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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Something regarded with special favor or liking
Example:
that book is one of my favorites
Synonyms:
favorite; favourite
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("favorite" is a kind of...):
choice; pick; selection (the person or thing chosen or selected)
Derivation:
favorite (preferred above all others and treated with partiality)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A special loved one
Synonyms:
darling; dearie; deary; ducky; favorite; favourite; pet
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("favorite" is a kind of...):
lover (a person who loves someone or is loved by someone)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "favorite"):
chosen (one who is the object of choice; who is given preference)
macushla ((an Irish term of address expressing affection) darling)
mollycoddle (a pampered darling; an effeminate man)
teacher's pet (the teacher's favorite student)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A competitor thought likely to win
Synonyms:
favorite; favourite; front-runner
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Hypernyms ("favorite" is a kind of...):
challenger; competition; competitor; contender; rival (the contestant you hope to defeat)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Preferred above all others and treated with partiality
Example:
the favored child
Synonyms:
best-loved; favored; favorite; favourite; pet; preferent; preferred
Classified under:
Similar:
loved (held dear)
Derivation:
favorite (something regarded with special favor or liking)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Appealing to the general public
Example:
a favorite tourist attraction
Synonyms:
favorite; favourite
Classified under:
Similar:
popular (regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public)
Context examples:
The 'born together' hypothesis has been the favorite, and simulations developed in recent decades have shown almost all stars could be born as multiples that often spin away on their own.
(Our Sun Could Have Been Born With an Evil Twin Called "Nemesis", The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
It was brought about by a conversation in the Eldorado Saloon, in which men waxed boastful of their favorite dogs.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
Tau Ceti, a favorite destination of science fiction writers, is very similar to the sun both in size and brightness.
(Potentially Habitable 'Super-Earths' Found Orbiting around Sun's near Neighbor, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
It was a favorite ditty of the late lamented Professor Moriarty.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
They are especially abundant in tiny crustaceans such as krill and copepods — favorite prey of filter-feeding bowhead and endangered North Atlantic right whales.
(Whales may owe their efficient digestion to millions of tiny microbes, National Science Foundation)
Alleyne was still gazing after them, listening to the loud Hyke-a-Bayard! Hyke-a-Pomers! Hyke-a-Lebryt! with which they called upon their favorite hounds, when a group of horsemen crashed out through the underwood at the very spot where the serf and he were standing.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
It was in the afternoon, and, as before, they had ridden out to their favorite knoll in the hills.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
Regardless, this could well be one of your favorite new moons of the year, a time when you will enter a happy phase.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
"You'd have to take your favorite one. What is it?" asked Meg.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
To make matters worse, the place seemed to be a favorite breeding-place of the Jaracaca snake, the most venomous and aggressive in South America.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
