prejudice
Americannoun
-
prejudices
plural
-
an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
-
any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.
- Synonyms:
- predisposition, predilection, partiality, preconception
-
unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, especially of a hostile nature, regarding an ethnic, racial, social, or religious group.
-
such attitudes considered collectively.
The war against prejudice is never-ending.
-
damage or injury; detriment.
a law that operated to the prejudice of the majority.
verb (used with object)
-
prejudices,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prejudiced,
past participle, past
-
prejudicing
present participle
idioms
noun
-
an opinion formed beforehand, esp an unfavourable one based on inadequate facts
-
the act or condition of holding such opinions
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intolerance of or dislike for people of a specific race, religion, etc
-
disadvantage or injury resulting from prejudice
-
to the detriment of
-
law without dismissing or detracting from an existing right or claim
verb
-
to cause to be prejudiced
-
to disadvantage or injure by prejudice
Usage
What does prejudice mean? Prejudice is a bias or a preconceived opinion, idea, or belief about something. When you act based on prejudice, you make up your mind about something and make generalizations about it before fully knowing about it. Though a prejudice can be positive, the word most often refers to unfair and strongly held negative judgments—especially hostile judgments about certain people. Prejudice can refer to a specific instance of such a belief, as in He clearly has a prejudice against people of color, or such beliefs collectively, as in We need to eliminate prejudice from society. Prejudice against people can be based on many parts of their identity, including race, ethnicity, religion, gender or gender identity, sexuality, and language. Such prejudices often create stereotypes about members of such groups. A common and widespread form of prejudice is racism, in which a person believes in the superiority of what they consider to be their own “race” over others. This most often takes the form of believing that those with other skin colors—especially darker skin colors—are inferior physically, intellectually, morally, and/or culturally, and mistreating and discriminating against them because of this. However, the word racism is often used to refer to more than just a prejudice or an active hatred but to a system of oppression based on such prejudice (often called systemic racism or institutional racism). Someone who has a prejudice against others can be described as prejudiced. Unfair treatment based on prejudice or causing prejudice can be described as prejudicial. Less commonly, the word prejudice can also be used as a verb meaning to cause to be prejudiced against someone or something, as in Bad press has prejudiced many voters against the candidate.
Synonym Usage
See bias.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
prejudicesimple
-
prejudicessimple
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have prejudicedperfect
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has prejudicedperfect
-
am prejudicingprogressive
-
are prejudicingprogressive
-
is prejudicingprogressive
-
have been prejudicingperfect progressive
-
has been prejudicingperfect progressive
Past
-
prejudicedsimple
-
had prejudicedperfect
-
was prejudicingprogressive
-
were prejudicingprogressive
-
had been prejudicingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prejudice
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin praejūdicium “prejudgment,” originally “preliminary or previous judicial inquiry,” equivalent to prae- pre- + jūdicium “legal proceedings, judging” ( jūdic-, stem of jūdex judge + -ium -ium )
Explanation
If you have a negative attitude towards someone based on race or ethnicity rather than personal experience, you might be accused of prejudice. Prejudice is remarkably similar to its Latin root in form and meaning; the Latin praejudicium means "judgment in advance." A racial prejudice is a negative attitude towards a group of people based on race — not on direct knowledge or experience. If you prejudice someone, you cause them to have a negative attitude towards someone else. Lawyers are not allowed to bring certain types of evidence such as rumors into a trial because it might prejudice the jury.
Vocabulary lists containing prejudice
Power Prefix: pre-
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You Be the Judge: Jud, Jur, Jus
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The longstanding prejudice was that falsetto was comic, effeminate or simply bizarre.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
At the request of O’Malley’s attorney, Robert Vannah, the case was dismissed with prejudice in July, meaning claims tied to this incident cannot be refiled in civil court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Sly and the Family Stone’s message of overcoming prejudice and treating everyone with dignity, including ourselves, matches their steadfast dedication to making all their fans feel loved, especially children.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
"Speculation was invited by the prosecution," she said, adding that any value the evidence had "was outweighed by its unfair prejudice".
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
In their broken state, they were judged and condemned by people whose commitment to fairness had been broken by cynicism, hopelessness, and prejudice.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
To judge from the late-life recollections she records here, she maintained her youthful prejudices to the end.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Alicia Nudelman, an Israeli volunteer who is part of Harani’s group, said she has witnessed how anti-Christian prejudices can be overcome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Unyoked from racial prejudices and prohibitions, Eston’s progeny prospered.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
All teams are defined, to some measure, on the preferences and prejudices of their managers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
I wanted to demystify the ANC for them, to peel away their prejudices.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Economic need can unite white Americans in support of more generous welfare policies, including among some who are racially prejudiced.
From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2026
Helder Barbalho, the governor of the state of Para, where Belem is located, slammed "the prejudiced" comments on the X social network.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
Alex’s team filed the long-anticipated appeal of his convictions, arguing there were errors during his trial that prejudiced the jury in his case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2025
Mr Patel said he did not know where the money was and did not want to discuss what happened, in case it prejudiced any future court case against Vashi.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2025
He defined reliable evidence as one would in a court of law: more than one witness, and the witnesses must be of sound mind, not partial or prejudiced.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The effective double trial led each executive to produce more damaging claims about the other, thus prejudicing the jury against the defendants, the lawyers said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
"I will do so without prejudicing their decision because we have to follow the clinical advice on this."
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026
“Plaintiffs’ concealment of their identities is prejudicing the Robinsons’ defense,” the motion alleges.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2025
The inquiry has already ruled that evidence about the company will be heard in private later this month to avoid prejudicing an ongoing police investigation.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2025
"Has it ever occurred to you, May," Mrs. Dormer-Smith went on, "that you are prejudicing the future of this gentleman?"
From That Unfortunate Marriage, Vol. 3 by Frances Eleanor Trollope
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