play favorites
Treat people unequally
To play favorites is to give preferential treatment to certain people over others, especially when fairness demands equal treatment.
Parents who play favorites among their children create lasting resentment.
Bosses who play favorites undermine workplace morale.
The teacher was accused of playing favorites with the popular kids.
The phrase implies the favoritism is unfair or inappropriate.
Preferring kin in hiring
- cronyismFavoring friends in appointments
- patronageSupporter's financial backing
- preferential treatmentAdvantages given selectively
- teacher's petFavored student
golden child · blue-eyed boy · pet · protege · darling · chosen one · inner circle · clique
Unfair favor toward some
- prejudicePreformed unfavorable opinion
- one-sidednessImbalanced viewpoint or treatment
- partisanshipLoyalty to one faction
- subjectivityPersonal viewpoint coloring perception
slanted · skewed · unbalanced · lopsided · partial · preferential · unequal · colored
Unfair distribution or treatment
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- unjustNot fair or right
- disparityMeasurable difference between things
- unequal treatmentInconsistent handling of people
exclusion · marginalization · arbitrary · undeserved · unmerited · rigged · stacked deck · two-tiered
nepotism
Preferring kin in hiring
- cronyismFavoring friends in appointments
- patronageSupporter's financial backing
- preferential treatmentAdvantages given selectively
teacher's pet · golden child · blue-eyed boy · pet · protege · darling · chosen one · inner circle · clique · in-group
partiality
Unfair favor toward some
- prejudicePreformed unfavorable opinion
- one-sidednessImbalanced viewpoint or treatment
- partisanshipLoyalty to one faction
subjectivity · slanted · skewed · unbalanced · lopsided · partial · preferential · unequal · colored · jaundiced
inequity
Unfair distribution or treatment
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- unjustNot fair or right
- disparityMeasurable difference between things
unequal treatment · exclusion · marginalization · arbitrary · undeserved · unmerited · rigged · stacked deck · two-tiered · double standard