preferred

1 of 2

adjective

pre·​ferred pri-ˈfərd How to pronounce preferred (audio)
Synonyms of preferrednext
1
: liked better or best : used or wanted in preference to others
a preferred method
'Leveled' is the preferred spelling in American English.
2
: having special status or receiving special treatment or benefits
preferred customers

preferred

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of prefer

Synonyms of preferred

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Adjective

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Examples of preferred in a Sentence

Adjective my preferred means of communication is e-mail
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
An Ipsos poll out Friday finds that a majority, or about 51% of the population, say chocolate is their preferred Halloween candy of choice. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 Poland never underestimated Russia threat watch now Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news. — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 Optimizing Your Capital Stack EB-5 financing could occupy several positions in a traditional real estate capital stack and is commonly structured as mezzanine debt or preferred equity. — Jill Jones, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Once a company selects a preferred motor approach, researchers can transition the results into Motor AI to generate detailed design configurations and engineering specifications. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for preferred

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1748, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of preferred was in 1748

Phrases Containing preferred

Rhymes for preferred

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Browse Nearby Words

preferment
preferred
preferred creditor
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Cite this Entry

“Preferred.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preferred. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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