disfavour

noun, verb — 4 senses

disfavour

noun

UK /dɪsˈfeɪvə(ɹ)/

Etymology From English dis- + favour, from Middle French desfaveur.

1

UK Lack of favour; displeasure.

  • His lateness for the appointment incurred her disfavour.
  • These same misdeeds have raised a strong sentiment of disfavour against its ally.1839, William Ewart Gladstone, The State in Its Relations with the Church:
1 more example
  • The ground-breaking work that lesbians and gay men have done in breaking down traditional roles for men and women in couples is given little attention [in this book] and creative sexual arrangements are looked at with subtle disfavor.1981 February 14, Eric E. Rofes, “Overlooking Our Differences”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 29, page 16:
2

UK An unkindness; a disobliging act.

  • He might dispense favours and disfavours according to his own election.1702-1704, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, The History of the Rebellion:
3

UK A state of being out of favour.

  • The term “insane asylum” fell into disfavour long ago, but asylum is what some mentally ill people need.2013 September 18, “Editorial: Seriously ill still need asylum”, in Vancouver Sun:
Synonyms
maltreatment
Antonyms
favour

disfavour

verb

Etymology From English dis- + favour, from Middle French desfaveur.

1

UK To show lack of favour or antipathy towards.

  • Her past performance meant that she was often disfavoured for important tasks.
Synonyms
discriminate, maltreat
Antonyms
favour
Derived terms
disfavourer

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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