EN

Synonyms for favor

  • noun
  • verb
  • American English

Most common

benefit advantage mercy boon respect preference party favor

Synonyms by meaning

Noun

1. Advantage

advantage, help, gift, aid, benefit, mercy, turn, present, boon, grace, kindness, patronage, good graces, courtesy, indulgence, pardon, service, civility, championship, auspices, accommodation, benefaction

2. Regard

regard, respect, popularity, vogue, esteem, face, visage

3. Preference — partiality; bias

preference, bias, partiality, predilection, prejudice

Other

token, party favor, letter, communication, epistle

Verb

1. Assist

assist, support, back, forward, countenance, advocate, approve, abet, encourage, second, endorse, oblige, ease, facilitate, foster, accommodate, befriend, sanction, speed

2. Resemble

look like, make for, resemble

Other

prefer, privilege, choose, cast, favorite US, favourite UK, go in for, indulge, humor US, humour UK, favoritize rare

Antonyms

harm, disfavor, balance

All antonyms of favor →

Definitions

  1. n. 1

    Partiality; bias

  2. n. 2

    A kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone).

    He did me a favor when he took the time to drive me home.

  3. v. 1

    To look upon fondly; to prefer.

  4. v. 2

    To use more often.

Related words

Word family
favorite favorable favored favorer favorise favoritism
Phrases
in favor of party favor curry favor in something's favor
Other spellings
favour UK

Forms

Plural
favors → advantages, helps, gifts, aids…
Past participle
favor'd
e.g. favor'd → assisted, supported, backed, forwarded…

Choose the right word

Favor, Mercy, Kindness, Grace, Blessing or Forgiveness?

Mercy is the exercise of less severity than one deserves, or in a more extended sense, the granting of kindness or favor beyond what one may rightly claim. Grace is favor, kindness, or blessing shown to the undeserving; forgiveness, mercy, and pardon are exercised toward the ill-deserving.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • benefit Advances in science don't always benefit humanity.
  • advantage He took advantage of my ignorance and deceived me.
  • mercy And so God took mercy on her, and gave her a girl.
  • boon The talented comedian Danny Boon is a Kabyle.
  • respect Respect of the young for the old is quite natural.
  • preference Have you got any preference between beef and lamb?

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
favorfalling
benefitsteady
advantagesteady
mercyrising
boonsteady
respectfalling

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
aid1
4 letters
back1, help1, face1, turn1, gift1, cast1, ease1, bias2, boon1, abet2
5 letters
speed1, grace1, mercy2, humor2, token2, vogue1
6 letters
second2, letter2, choose1, prefer2, regard2, assist2, foster2, esteem2, pardon2, humour2, oblige2, visage2
7 letters
service2, support2, present2, forward2, respect2, benefit3, approve2, endorse2, indulge2, epistle3
8 letters
favorite3, advocate3, courtesy3, kindness2, resemble3, sanction2, auspices3, civility4, befriend2
9 letters
advantage3, favourite3, encourage3, privilege2, prejudice3, patronage3
10 letters
popularity5, preference3, facilitate4, indulgence3, partiality5, favoritize
11 letters
accommodate4, countenance3, benefaction
12 letters
championship4, predilection4
13 letters
communication5, accommodation5

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (bias2 = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français
faveur
Italiano
favore
Español
favor
Català
favor