adjective
preferential
PREHF-ur-ehn-shuhl
adjective
1
Giving or showing favor to one person or group over others.
"Loyal customers get preferential treatment, including early access to sales."
2
Relating to a voting system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference.
"Under preferential voting, second-choice votes are counted if no candidate wins a majority outright."
How to Use Preferential
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishGiving special, favorable treatment — or, in elections, a system where voters rank their choices.
Common pairings
preferential treatment
preferential voting
preferential access
Word Forms
more preferential comparative, most preferential superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “preferential”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
Loyal customers get _____ treatment, including early access to sales.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin preferentia plus the adjective-forming suffix -al.