Word
preferential
Phoneticspref·er·en·tial
US/ˌpɹɛfɝˈɛnʃəɫ/
UK/pɹˌɛfəɹˈɛnʃəl/
Definitions
01special treatment
adj. giving or receiving an advantage or better treatment than others.
adj. relating to or involving the granting of a privilege or advantage to a particular person or group.
“The airline offers preferential seating to passengers who fly with them often.”
“The new trade agreement provides preferential access to the domestic market for companies that meet specific environmental standards.”
Formal
Usage
Usually placed before the noun it modifies.
Synonyms
02voting systems
adj. a way of voting where you list candidates in the order you like them.
adj. denoting a system of voting in which voters rank candidates in order of preference.
“The country uses a preferential voting system to choose its leaders.”
“Advocates argue that preferential voting ensures the winning candidate has broader support across the electorate than a simple majority system.”
Technical · Formal
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Far from Black scholars receiving preferential treatment, solid and repeated quantitative and qualitative evidence show that systematic biases are baked deep into the academic system, from postgraduate research onwards.” “In contrast, men's more strategic relationships may be more likely to generate professional advantages and preferential treatment.” “The outrage around perceived preferential treatment only seems to extend to certain demographics, which tells us a lot.” Etymology
From Medieval Latin preferentia + -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/preferential