favourable

English

Alternative forms

• favorable (US)

Etymology

From Middle English favourable, from Old French favorable, from Latin favōrābilis, from favor. By surface analysis, favour +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfeɪv(ə)ɹəbəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

favourable (comparative more favourable, superlative most favourable)

1. Pleasing, encouraging or approving.

   Synonyms: approving, encouraging, good, pleasing

   Antonyms: bad, discouraging, displeasing, unfavorable

   The candidate wearing the business suite made a favourable impression.

2. Useful or helpful.

   Synonyms: advantageous, helpful, useful

   Antonym: unhelpful

   We made quick progress, due to favourable winds.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto IX:

     So draw him home to those that mourn
     ⁠In vain; a favourable speed
     ⁠Ruffle thy mirror’d mast, and lead
     Thro’ prosperous floods his holy urn.

3. Convenient or at a suitable time; opportune.

   Synonyms: convenient, good, handy, opportune, suitable

   Antonyms: bad, inconvenient, inopportune, unsuitable

   The rain stopped at a favourable time for our tennis match.

4. Auspicious or lucky.

   Synonyms: auspicious, fortunate, lucky

   Antonyms: inauspicious, unfavourable, unlucky

   She says that she was born under a favourable star.

Derived terms

• unfavourable

 

Related terms

• favour
• favourably
• favourite

 

Translations

pleasing

• Bulgarian: прия́тен (bg) (prijáten)
• Catalan: favorable (ca)
• Czech: příznivý (cs)
• Danish: fordelagtig (da), positiv (da)
• Etruscan: 𐌚𐌀𐌂𐌀 (faca)
• Finnish: myönteinen (fi)
• French: favorable (fr)
• Galician: favorábel (gl)
• Georgian: მწყალობელი (mc̣q̇alobeli), კეთილგანწყობილი (ḳetilganc̣q̇obili)
• German: günstig (de)
• Hebrew: אָהוּד (he) m (ahúd)
• Italian: favorevole (it)
• Latin: secundus (la) (for things), prosper (for things), commŏdus (for things)
• Maori: rorotu
• Middle English: favourable
• Portuguese: favorável (pt)
• Romanian: favorabil (ro)
• Russian: благоприя́тный (ru) (blagoprijátnyj), прия́тный (ru) (prijátnyj)

useful

• Armenian: նպաստավոր (hy) (npastavor)
• Azerbaijani: əlverişli (az)
• Bulgarian: изгоден (bg) (izgoden)
• Catalan: favorable (ca)
• Czech: příznivý (cs)
• Danish: gunstig (da)
• Finnish: suotuisa (fi)
• French: favorable (fr)
• Galician: favorábel (gl)
• Georgian: სასარგებლო (sasargeblo), გამოსადეგი (gamosadegi), ვარგისი (vargisi), მარგებელი (margebeli)
• Italian: favorevole (it)
• Maori: rorotu
• Middle English: favourable
• Polish: sprzyjający (pl)
• Portuguese: favorável (pt)
• Romanian: favorabil (ro)
• Russian: благоприя́тный (ru) (blagoprijátnyj), благоприя́тствующий (ru) (blagoprijátstvujuščij)

opportune

• Armenian: նպաստավոր (hy) (npastavor)
• Azerbaijani: əlverişli (az)
• Bulgarian: благоприя́тен (bg) (blagoprijáten)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 好意 (zh) (hǎoyì), 順利／顺利 (zh) (shùnlì), 有利 (zh) (yǒulì)

• Danish: gunstig (da)
• Esperanto: favora (eo)
• Finnish: sopiva (fi)
• French: favorable (fr)
• Galician: favorábel (gl)
• Georgian: ხელსაყრელი (xelsaq̇reli), მოსახერხებელი (mosaxerxebeli), მარჯვე (marǯve) ((said of a moment)), დროული (drouli), მწყალობელი (mc̣q̇alobeli)
• German: günstig (de)
• Italian: favorevole (it)
• Japanese: 順調な (ja) (じゅんちょうな, junchō na), 好調な (ja) (こうちょうな, kōchō na)
• Maori: rorotu
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gunstig

  Nynorsk: gunstig

• Polish: dogodny (pl)
• Portuguese: favorável (pt)
• Russian: благоприя́тный (ru) (blagoprijátnyj), удо́бный (ru) (udóbnyj), подходя́щий (ru) (podxodjáščij)
• Spanish: favorable (es)
• Telugu: అనుకూలమైన (te) (anukūlamaina), సానుకూలము (sānukūlamu)

auspicious

• Catalan: favorable (ca)
• Danish: lykke-
• Finnish: suotuisa (fi)
• French: favorable (fr)
• Galician: favorábel (gl)
• Georgian: ხელისშემწყობი (xelisšemc̣q̇obi), ხელსაყრელი (xelsaq̇reli), მოსახერხებელი (mosaxerxebeli)
• Italian: favorevole (it)
• Latin: faustus, propitius
• Polish: szczęśliwy (pl)
• Portuguese: favorável (pt)
• Romanian: favorabil (ro)
• Russian: благоприя́тный (ru) (blagoprijátnyj)

Noun

favourable (plural favourables)

1. (plural only) Favourability ratings, percentage of people in favour
   • 2020 October 17, Éric Grenier, “How U.S. polls got it wrong in 2016 — and why they're more likely to get it right this time”, in CBC‎^[1]:

     As of Friday, RealClearPolitics puts Biden's favourables at 51 per cent and his unfavourables at 44 per cent.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• faverable, favorabele, favorabil, favorable, ffaverable, ffavorable

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French favorable, from Latin favorabilis; equivalent to favour +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌfaːvuˈraːbəl/, /ˌfaːvuˈraːblə/

Adjective

favourable

1. benevolent, well-disposed
2. biased, prejudiced
3. pleasing, attractive
4. (rare) beneficial, favourable

Descendants

• English: favourable, favorable

References

• “fāvǒurāble, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.