Unfavorites

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Items or individuals that are regarded with less preference or approval compared to others, often contrasted with favorites; objects or choices that receive lower priority or attention in a given context; people or things that are least liked or preferred in a particular group or situation
2. Entities or persons that are considered less desirable or less popular than favored counterparts; selections or options that fall below the preferred category due to lack of appeal; participants or elements that rank lowest in terms of favor or preference within a set
3. Those regarded as least liked or least preferred among alternatives, often opposed to those chosen as favorites; elements or candidates that consistently fail to achieve positive recognition or preference; members or objects placed at the bottom of a hierarchy of preference or approval

Etymology: "Unfavorites" is the plural of "unfavorite," which is built from the prefix "un-" attached to "favorite." Both parts are old and familiar: "un-" is a prefix meaning "not," and "favorite" comes from the Italian "favorito," which in turn derives from the Latin "favere," meaning "to show kindness toward" or "to favor." The prefix can also work as a reversive, meaning it undoes or reverses the action or state of the base word. So "unfavorite" is best understood as the reverse of a favorite: not a mere absence of preference but the opposite pole of it. In that sense the word names the things on the losing end of a ranking, the ones that people actively pass over rather than simply overlook.

Synonyms: undesirables, unliked ones

Antonyms: favorites, liked ones, preferred