Synonyms for prefer
prɪˈfɜrpre·fer

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.3 / 3 votes

1. prefer

   Prefer indicates a state of desire and approval; choose, an act of will. Prudence or generosity may lead one to choose what he does not prefer. Select implies a careful consideration of the reasons for preference and choice. Among objects so nearly alike that we have no reason to prefer any one to another we may simply choose the nearest, but we could not be said to select it. Aside from theology, elect is popularly confined to the political sense; as, a free people elect their own rulers. Cull, from the Latin colligere, commonly means to collect, as well as to select. In a garden we cull the choicest flowers.

   Synonyms:
   choose, cull, elect, pick, pick out, select

   Antonyms:
   cast away, cast out, decline, disclaim, dismiss, leave, refuse, reject, repudiate, throw aside

   Preposition:
   Choose from or from among the number; choose out of the army; choose between (or betwixt) two; among many; choose for the purpose.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. prefer

   Synonyms:
   choose, elect, select, fancy, promote, advance, further

   Antonyms:
   reject, postpone, defer, withhold, degrade, depress

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. preferverb

   like better; value more highly

   "Some people prefer camping to staying in hotels"; "We prefer sleeping outside"

   Synonyms:
   choose, favor, favour, opt

2. choose, prefer, optverb

   select as an alternative over another

   "I always choose the fish over the meat courses in this restaurant"; "She opted for the job on the East coast"

   Synonyms:
   take, select, choose, opt, favor, favour, pick out

3. prefer, favor, favourverb

   promote over another

   "he favors his second daughter"

   Synonyms:
   choose, favor, privilege, favour, opt

4. preferverb

   give preference to one creditor over another

   Synonyms:
   choose, favor, favour, opt

Matched Categories

1. • Law
   • Like
   • Pay
   • Promote

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:4.0 / 1 vote

1. preferverb

   Synonyms:
   offer, present, address, bring forward, set forth

2. preferverb

   Synonyms:
   raise, exalt, promote, advance

3. preferverb

   Synonyms:
   choose, select, elect, pick, pick out, single out, fix upon, pitch upon

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:3.0 / 1 vote

1. List of paraphrases for "prefer":

   prefers, preferred, favor, lieber, preference

How to pronounce prefer?

How to say prefer in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use prefer in a sentence?

1. Maggie Willems:

   I identify as a Democratic socialist. Progressive politics speak to me and that's what I prefer, but I also understand that I am not representative of the whole electorate, we need to be sure to select a candidate that can defeat Donald Trump.

2. Zhao Ruoqing:

   I'm not sure I totally trust either chain yet, but I now go to McDonald's when I'm in a rush because I prefer the atmosphere.

3. Charles Baudelaire:

   I consider it useless and tedious to represent what exists, because nothing that exists satisfies me. Nature is ugly, and I prefer the monsters of my fancy to what is positively trivial.

4. Grant Paulsen:

   I do not think it's clear that one is any better than the other. They are different, it is very much what the parents prefer. Balancing those differences as well as, honestly, what's available and what Nina Alfieri has or what the local hospital has.

5. Abraham Lincoln:

   Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation we began by declaring that 'all men are created equal.' When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except Negroes and foreigners and Catholics.' When it comes to this, I shall prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty -- to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy hypocrisy.