different between alternative vs preference

English

Etymology

From Middle French alternatif, from Medieval Latin altern?t?vus (“alternating”), from the participle stem of Latin altern? (“interchange, alternate”). Compare alternate.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?l.?t??(?).n?.t?v/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?l.?t?.n?.t?v/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /?l.?t?.n?.t?v/

Adjective

alternative (not comparable)

1. Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities.
   1. (linguistics) Presenting two or more alternatives.

      Synonym: disjunctive

2. Other; different from something else.
3. Not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground.

   alternative medicine; alternative lifestyle; alternative rock

4. (obsolete) Alternate, reciprocal.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

alternative (plural alternatives)

1. A situation which allows a mutually exclusive choice between two or more possibilities; a choice between two or more possibilities. [from 17th c.]
   • 1817, Walter Scott, Rob Roy, XI:

     ‘The cloister or a betrothed husband?’ I echoed—‘Is that the alternative destined for Miss Vernon?’

2. One of several mutually exclusive things which can be chosen. [from 17th c.]
   • 1803, Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison^[1]:

     Between these alternatives there is no middle ground. The Constitution is either a superior, paramount law, unchangeable by ordinary means, or it is on a level with ordinary legislative acts, and, like other acts, is alterable when the legislature shall please to alter it.

3. The remaining option; something available after other possibilities have been exhausted. [from 18th c.]
4. (uncountable, music) alternative rock

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:option

Translations

See also

• variant

References

• alternative in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• alternative in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alterna?tive/
• Rhymes: -ive

Adverb

alternative

1. alternatively

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al.t??.na.tiv/
• Homophone: alternatives

Adjective

alternative

1. feminine singular of alternatif

Noun

alternative f (plural alternatives)

1. alternative

Further reading

• “alternative” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

alternative

1. inflection of alternativ:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ive

Adjective

alternative

1. feminine plural of alternativo

Noun

alternative f

1. plural of alternativa

Anagrams

• alternatevi

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /al.ter.na??ti?.u?e/, [ä??t??rnä??t?i?u??]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /al.ter.na?ti.ve/, [?l?t??rn??t?i?v?]

Adjective

altern?t?ve

1. vocative masculine singular of altern?t?vus

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

alternative

1. inflection of alternativ:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

alternative

1. inflection of alternativ:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

Swedish

Adjective

alternative

1. absolute definite natural masculine form of alternativ.

English

Alternative forms

• præference (archaic)

Etymology 1

From Middle French preference, from Medieval Latin preferentia. Doublet of preferans.

Morphologically prefer +? -ence.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p??f(?)?(?)ns/

Noun

preference (countable and uncountable, plural preferences)

1. The selection of one thing or person over others (with the main adposition being "for" in relation to the thing or person, but possibly also "of")

   He has a preference for crisp wines.

2. The option to so select, and the one selected.

3. The state of being preferred over others.
4. A strong liking or personal valuation.
5. A preferential bias; partiality; discrimination.

Synonyms

• forechoice
• (preferential bias): see Thesaurus:predilection

Derived terms

• preference share(s}
• preference stock

Translations

Verb

preference (third-person singular simple present preferences, present participle preferencing, simple past and past participle preferenced)

1. (US) To give preferential treatment to; to give a preference to.

See also

• preferences

Etymology 2

Noun

preference (uncountable)

1. Preferans, a card game, principally played in Eastern Europe.

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?pr?f?r?nt?s?]

Noun

preference f

1. preference (selection of one thing or person over others)

Derived terms

• preferen?ní

Related terms

• See oferta
• preferovat

See also

• up?ednostn?ní

Further reading

• preference in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• preference in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989

Middle French

Noun

preference f (plural preferences)

1. preference (option preferred over another option)