Meanings
comparative more preferably · superlative most preferably · alternative preferrably
- In preference; by choice; in a preferable manner.
The nondegerming system grinds corn, preferably white dent corn, into meal with little, if any, separation of germ.
2000, Karel Kulp, Handbook of Cereal Science and Technology, Revised and Expanded, page 481 more example
He felt having a Micronesian navigator meant he needed a pureblooded Polynesian, preferably a Hawaiian, as captain.
2007 May 27, Douglas Martin, “Kawika Kapahulehua Dies; Hawaiian Seafarer Was 76”, in The New York TimesSynonyms: better, liefer, liever, preferredly, rather
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbIn preference; by choice; in a preferable manner.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Englishpreferable
- Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
- Proto-Germanic*līką
- Englishpreferably
From preferable + -ly.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian за предпочитане
- за предпочитане (za predpočitane)in preference
Catalan preferiblement
- preferiblementin preference
Dutch bij voorkeur
- bij voorkeurin preference
Esperanto prefere
- preferein preference
Finnish mieluiten
- mieluitenin preference
French de préférence, préférablement
- de préférencein preference
- préférablementin preference
German vorzugsweise
- vorzugsweisein preference
Greek κατά προτίμηση
- κατά προτίμηση (katá protímisi)in preference
Italian preferibilmente
- preferibilmentein preference
Latin potior
- potiorin preference
Norwegian Bokmål fortrinnsvis
- fortrinnsvisin preference
Polish najchętniej
- najchętniejin preference
Portuguese preferencialmente, de preferência
- preferencialmentein preference
- de preferênciain preference
Romanian (în mod) preferabil, (în manieră) preferabilă
- (în mod) preferabilin preference
- (în manieră) preferabilăin preference
Russian лучше, желательно
- лучше (lučše)in preference
- желательно (želatelʹno)in preference
- предпочтительно (predpočtitelʹno)in preference
Spanish preferiblemente
- preferiblementein preference
Swedish helst
- helstin preference
Turkish tercihen
- tercihenin preference
Cite this entry
preferably. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preferably
“preferably.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preferably. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “preferably,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preferably.
Source: preferably on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.