preference

Pluralpreferences

Formspreferences, preferencing, preferenced

1. 1
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A strong liking for something, or the personal value someone places on it.

   Her lifelong preference for classical music came from her grandfather.

   Voters expressed a clear preference for candidates who promised lower taxes.

   Similarliking, fondness, taste, partiality, predilection

   Oppositeaversion, dislike, distaste, antipathy

2. 2
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The act of choosing one thing or person over others, usually expressed as a preference for that option.

   The committee's preference for renewable sources guided every funding decision.

   Customers signaled a marked preference for online ordering over phone calls.

   Similarliking, partiality, predilection, inclination, fondness

   Oppositeaversion, dislike

   Note

   The construction matters more than the meaning here. You have a preference for something, and for is by far its usual partner, as in a preference for crisp wines. Of can fill the same slot but is the rarer choice. The noun is simply prefer plus -ence, and it reached English through Middle French preference from Medieval Latin preferentia.

3. 3
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The opportunity to select one option over others, and the particular option that is chosen.

   The form lets you state a preference for either a window or an aisle seat.

   When asked about dessert, she said vanilla was her preference.

   Similarchoice, pick, option, selection

   Note

   Software has given the plural a life of its own. Your preferences are the settings an application remembers for you, and the practical worry is whether you can keep your preferences through an upgrade. In that use the word names choices already made, not the act of choosing, and it sits naturally in the plural with a possessive: my preferences, your preferences.

4. 4
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The condition of being chosen or favored ahead of others when a selection is made.

   Returning customers are given preference for the limited concert tickets.

   Under the new policy, in-state applicants enjoy preference in admissions.

   Similarpriority, precedence, favor, advantage

5. 5
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A bias or partiality that favors one person or group over others, often unfairly.

   Critics accused the board of showing preference to companies run by its own members.

   The investigation uncovered systematic preference in how contracts were awarded.

   Similarfavoritism, bias, partiality, nepotism

   Oppositeimpartiality, fairness, neutrality

6. 6
   verbUStransitive

   To give preferential treatment to a person or thing; to favor one option above others.

   Some agencies preference veterans when filling open positions.

   The grant program preferences first-time applicants over repeat recipients.

   Similarfavor, prioritize, privilege

   Oppositedisadvantage, penalize

   Note

   This is a US verb built on the noun, and it inflects regularly: preferences, preferencing, preferenced. It is not a stand-in for prefer. To prefer veterans is to like them better, while to preference veterans is to give them an advantage, usually under a policy or procedure that systematically favors one group. Outside the US, prefer or favor is the safer choice.

7. 7
   noununcountable

   A card game, played principally in Eastern Europe, in which players bid against one another over hands.

   The three friends settled in for a few rounds of preference after dinner.

   Cards and scoring pads came out, and another evening of preference began.

   Note

   The game's own name is preferans, and preference is the English form of it. The two are doublets, one word that traveled by different routes, which is why a card game shares a headword with the act of choosing. Treat it as a mass noun, like other game names: you play preference, or a few rounds of preference, never a preference.

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