Disfavor means disapproval or a loss of approval and support. When someone falls into disfavor, others who once liked or respected them now view them negatively or with disappointment.

You might notice disfavor at school when a student who breaks important rules loses the trust of their teacher and classmates. A politician might fall into public disfavor after breaking important promises. In history, advisors to kings sometimes fell into disfavor and lost their positions of influence at court.

The word can also describe actively disapproving of something. A principal might disfavor the idea of canceling recess, or your parents might disfavor staying up too late on school nights.

Unlike simple disagreement, disfavor suggests a kind of cooling relationship or withdrawn support. When you look with disfavor on something, you don't just dislike it, you disapprove of it. The opposite is favor, meaning approval and support. Someone in your teacher's favor enjoys their approval and goodwill, while someone in their teacher's disfavor has disappointed them somehow and lost that positive standing.