What does unfavorably mean?
Unfavorably is an adverb meaning in a negative, critical, or harmful manner. It is commonly used to describe how people react to an event, proposal, result, or comparison, as in “The plan was received unfavorably,” and it can also indicate that something affects a person or organization adversely. The word is related to the adjective unfavorable but carries a grammatical distinction: unfavorable describes something that is negative, while unfavorably describes the manner or direction of a response, judgment, or effect. It is suitable for formal writing and ordinary conversation, although more conversational alternatives such as badly or negatively may be preferred in less formal contexts. The related word favorably expresses the opposite idea and is often used in parallel structures such as “viewed favorably” and “viewed unfavorably.”
adverbIn a negative or harmful way, or with criticism or lack of approval. It describes how an event, person, or thing is viewed, judged, or affected.
- In a negative, critical, or disapproving manner; with harmful or adverse effects.
"The proposal was received unfavorably by members of the committee."
"The early results compared unfavorably with those of the previous season."
"The company responded unfavorably to allegations that it had misrepresented its finances."
Unfavorably adds direction to a negative judgment: it describes not only that an opinion was negative, but how that opinion was expressed or received.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unfavorably come from?
Unfavorably is the adverbial form of unfavorable, a word formed by combining the English prefix un- with favorable. Favorable derives from favor, which entered English through Old French and ultimately comes from Latin favor, meaning goodwill or approval. The negative prefix un- provides the opposite sense, and the addition of -ly converts the adjective into an adverb.
How unfavorably is actually used
This is a standard formal-to-neutral adverb in both British and American English. British English often spells it unfavourably, while American English uses unfavorably.
Easily confused with unfavorably
Unfavorable is an adjective describing a negative quality, whereas unfavorably is an adverb describing how something is judged, viewed, or affected.