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Webster 1913 Edition


Preference

Pref′er-ence

,
Noun.
[Cf. F.
préférence
.]
1.
The act of Preferring, or the state of being preferred; the setting of one thing before another; precedence; higher estimation; predilection; choice; also, the power or opportunity of choosing;
as, to give him his
preference
.
Leave the critics on either side to contend about the
preference
due to this or that sort of poetry.
Dryden.
Knowledge of things alone gives a value to our reasonings, and
preference
of one man’s knowledge over another's.
Locke.
2.
That which is preferred; the object of choice or superior favor; as, which is your preference?

Webster 1828 Edition


Preference

PREF'ERENCE

,
Noun.
The act of preferring one thing before another; estimation of one thing above another; choice of one thing rather than another.
Leave the critics on either side to contend about the preference due to this or that sort of poetry.
It has to, above, before, or over, before the thing postponed. All men give the preference to Homer as an epic poet. The human body has the preference above or before those of brutes.
The knowledge of things alone gives a value to our reasonings,and preference of one man's knowledge over another's.

Definition 2024


preference

preference

See also: préférence

English

Alternative forms

Noun

preference (plural preferences)

  1. The selection of one thing or person over others.
  2. The option to so select, and the one selected.
    • 2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18:
      Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet. Perhaps we assume that our name, address and search preferences will be viewed by some unseen pair of corporate eyes, probably not human, and don't mind that much.
    Can I keep my preferences when I upgrade to the new version of this application?
  3. The state of being preferred over others.
  4. A strong liking or personal valuation.
  5. A preferential bias; partiality; discrimination.
  6. (uncountable) Preferans, a card game, principally played in Eastern Europe.

Synonyms

Translations

Verb

preference (third-person singular simple present preferences, present participle preferencing, simple past and past participle preferenced)

  1. (US) To give preferential treatment to; to give a preference to.

See also


Czech

Noun

preference f

  1. preference (selection of one thing or person over others)
    spotřebitelské preference
    volební preference

Derived terms

  • preferenční

Related terms

See also

  • upřednostnění

Middle French

Noun

preference f (plural preferences)

  1. preference (option preferred over another option)