out-of-favor
UK[ˌaʊt.əvˈfeɪ.vər]US[ˌaʊt.əvˈfeɪ.vɚ]
adj
no longer popular, approved of, or supported
Morpheme Breakdown
out
of
favor
out
outside, beyond, away from, not in a state of.
of
favor
approval, support, or goodwill.
Etymology
The compound adjective "out-of-favor" is a relatively modern English formation built from three native and borrowed elements. The core noun "favor" entered English from Old French favor, tracing back to Latin favor (goodwill, kindness), from the verb favere (to show kindness to, to favor). The prepositional phrase "out of," with its Old English roots (ūt and of), fundamentally expresses a state of being external to or separated from something. When combined, the literal sense of being "outside the state of favor or approval" directly yields the modern abstract meaning of having lost popularity or support. This construction follows a common English pattern for creating descriptive states, such as "out-of-date" or "out-of-touch."
Analysis
Structure: out + of + favor
- out: Old English. A preposition/adverb/adjective-forming prefix meaning "outside, beyond, away from, not in a state of."
- of: Old English. A preposition indicating origin, separation, or relation.
- favor: Latin via Old French. A noun meaning "approval, support, or goodwill."
Examples
The once-popular theory has fallen out-of-favor with most modern scholars.
His out-of-favor political views made it difficult for him to find allies.
That style of architecture is currently out-of-favor, though it may see a revival in the future.