أفضل

See also: أفصل and افصل

Arabic

Etymology 1

Root
ف ض ل (f-ḍ-l)

Elative of فَضِيل (faḍīl, “outstanding, very good”).

Adjective

أَفْضَل • (ʔafḍal) (feminine فُضْلَى (fuḍlā), masculine plural أَفْضَلُون (ʔafḍalūn) or أَفَاضِل (ʔafāḍil), feminine plural فُضْلَيَات (fuḍlayāt))

1. elative degree of فَضِيل (faḍīl):
   1. better; best
   2. more outstanding; most outstanding
2. preferable

Declension

Declension of adjective أَفْضَل (ʔafḍal)

Singular	Masculine		Feminine
	basic singular diptote		singular invariable
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	أَفْضَل ʔafḍal	الْأَفْضَل al-ʔafḍal	فُضْلَى fuḍlā	الْفُضْلَى al-fuḍlā
Nominative	أَفْضَلُ ʔafḍalu	الْأَفْضَلُ al-ʔafḍalu	فُضْلَى fuḍlā	الْفُضْلَى al-fuḍlā
Accusative	أَفْضَلَ ʔafḍala	الْأَفْضَلَ al-ʔafḍala	فُضْلَى fuḍlā	الْفُضْلَى al-fuḍlā
Genitive	أَفْضَلَ ʔafḍala	الْأَفْضَلِ al-ʔafḍali	فُضْلَى fuḍlā	الْفُضْلَى al-fuḍlā
Dual	Masculine		Feminine
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	أَفْضَلَيْن ʔafḍalayn	الْأَفْضَلَيْن al-ʔafḍalayn	فُضْلَيَيْن fuḍlayayn	الْفُضْلَيَيْن al-fuḍlayayn
Nominative	أَفْضَلَانِ ʔafḍalāni	الْأَفْضَلَانِ al-ʔafḍalāni	فُضْلَيَانِ fuḍlayāni	الْفُضْلَيَانِ al-fuḍlayāni
Accusative	أَفْضَلَيْنِ ʔafḍalayni	الْأَفْضَلَيْنِ al-ʔafḍalayni	فُضْلَيَيْنِ fuḍlayayni	الْفُضْلَيَيْنِ al-fuḍlayayni
Genitive	أَفْضَلَيْنِ ʔafḍalayni	الْأَفْضَلَيْنِ al-ʔafḍalayni	فُضْلَيَيْنِ fuḍlayayni	الْفُضْلَيَيْنِ al-fuḍlayayni
Plural	Masculine		Feminine
	sound masculine plural‎; basic broken plural diptote		sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	أَفْضَلِين‎; أَفَاضِل ʔafḍalīn‎; ʔafāḍil	الْأَفْضَلِين‎; الْأَفَاضِل al-ʔafḍalīn‎; al-ʔafāḍil	فُضْلَيَات fuḍlayāt	الْفُضْلَيَات al-fuḍlayāt
Nominative	أَفْضَلُونَ‎; أَفَاضِلُ ʔafḍalūna‎; ʔafāḍilu	الْأَفْضَلُونَ‎; الْأَفَاضِلُ al-ʔafḍalūna‎; al-ʔafāḍilu	فُضْلَيَاتٌ fuḍlayātun	الْفُضْلَيَاتُ al-fuḍlayātu
Accusative	أَفْضَلِينَ‎; أَفَاضِلَ ʔafḍalīna‎; ʔafāḍila	الْأَفْضَلِينَ‎; الْأَفَاضِلَ al-ʔafḍalīna‎; al-ʔafāḍila	فُضْلَيَاتٍ fuḍlayātin	الْفُضْلَيَاتِ al-fuḍlayāti
Genitive	أَفْضَلِينَ‎; أَفَاضِلَ ʔafḍalīna‎; ʔafāḍila	الْأَفْضَلِينَ‎; الْأَفَاضِلِ al-ʔafḍalīna‎; al-ʔafāḍili	فُضْلَيَاتٍ fuḍlayātin	الْفُضْلَيَاتِ al-fuḍlayāti

Descendants

• → Bengali: আফজল (aphjol)
• → Indonesian: afdal
• → Kazakh: абзал (abzal)

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “أفضل”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[1], London: W.H. Allen
• Wehr, Hans (1979) “أفضل”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

Etymology 2

Verb

أُفَضِّلُ • (ʔufaḍḍilu) (form II)

1. first-person singular non-past active indicative of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)

Verb

أُفَضِّلَ • (ʔufaḍḍila) (form II)

1. first-person singular non-past active subjunctive of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)

Verb

أُفَضِّلْ • (ʔufaḍḍil) (form II)

1. first-person singular non-past active jussive of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)

Verb

أُفَضَّلُ • (ʔufaḍḍalu) (form II)

1. first-person singular non-past passive indicative of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)

Verb

أُفَضَّلَ • (ʔufaḍḍala) (form II)

1. first-person singular non-past passive subjunctive of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)

Verb

أُفَضَّلْ • (ʔufaḍḍal) (form II)

1. first-person singular non-past passive jussive of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic أَفْضَل (ʔafḍal), elative degree of فَضِيل (faḍīl).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaf.dˤal/, [ˈʔɑf.dˤɑl]

• Audio (al-Lidd):

  (file)

Adjective

أفضل • (ʔafḍal)

1. better, best

   Synonym: أحسن (ʔaḥsan)

2. preferable