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I've searched a few Thesauri, and wracked my brain. But antonyms like "hated", "loathed", "disliked" require the modifier "most".

Young children sometimes use "worst" as a direct antonym for "favorite". Is there a more suitable term?

  • Is there a single word that is a direct antonym for "favorite"?
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    Would “unfavorite” fit your context? merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfavorite
    – user 66974
    Jun 28, 2018 at 19:04
  • @user110518 I feel like "antifavorite" would be closer, because "unfavorite" can imply anything not the favorite, and not necessarily the "least favorite."
    – DukeZhou
    Jun 28, 2018 at 19:06
  • least favorite is what one might teach a child. The one I like the least.
    – Lambie
    Jun 28, 2018 at 19:06
  • @DukeZhou ELU looks at recognised usage (hence the name), not DIY non-words.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Jun 28, 2018 at 19:09
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    I had a friend who referred to the foods he disliked the most as "nemesis" I'm not sure. however, that Merrian-Webster would approve of "Mustard is my nemesis."
    – PhotoScientist
    Jun 29, 2018 at 21:25

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I feel like "antifavorite" would be closer, because "unfavorite" can imply anything not the favorite, and not necessarily the "least favorite."

Not if you go with Oxford's definition of unfavourite:

(US unfavorite)

[attributive] Least favourite; most disliked.

‘she was the unfavourite one of her mother's three children’

It's interesting that Oxford is more definitive (no pun intended). But there may simply be no other single word. If you don't like it, the only other option would be least favourite (or possibly most unfavourite).

I'll be curious to see if there's another answer.

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  • Excellent answer (although I think this is a rare case where the dictionary gets it wrong;) Nevertheless, it is a legit lexical entry! I also am interested to see what other answers may emerge. Is there a word for words that don't have a direct antonym ?
    – DukeZhou
    Jun 29, 2018 at 19:51
  • To clarify, re: the Oxford entry, it may be a matter of misinterpreting the American English colloquialism. Merriam Webster defines unfavorite correctly as any non-favorite, distinct from a sole "least favorite."
    – DukeZhou
    Jul 2, 2018 at 20:40

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