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preferring

VERB

favor; single out

Synonyms

STRONGEST

adopt choose go for pick promote put select suggest wish

STRONG

advance aggrandize cull desire elect elevate fancy finger incline mark place pose present proposition propound raise tag take tap upgrade

WEAK

be partial to be turned on to fix upon like better opt for optate propone put forward would rather would sooner

Antonyms

STRONGEST

dislike hate refuse reject

STRONG

decrease depress disgrace drop ignore lessen lose lower stop withhold

WEAK

spurn

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For years, the U.S. refrained from investigating sitting politicians in its fight against drug trafficking, preferring to target cartel leaders.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

He has resisted the iTunes style of selling songs individually, preferring to preserve sales of complete albums.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

Wall Street has been relatively quiet on Tesla lately, preferring to focus on the coming initial public offering of SpaceX.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

It discarded its best-known brands – the Mondeo and the Fiesta – as part of a move away from affordable, everyman cars, preferring to concentrate on more upmarket models.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

He lies on the couch in the dark, in his clothes, his body covered by his jacket, preferring that to the stripped mattress in the bedroom.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri