prepossess

[ pree-puh-zes ]

verb (used with object)

1. to possess or dominate mentally beforehand, as a prejudice does.
2. to prejudice or bias, especially favorably.
3. to impress favorably beforehand or at the outset.

prepossess

/ ˌpriːpəˈzɛs /

verb

1. to preoccupy or engross mentally
2. to influence in advance for or against a person or thing; prejudice; bias
3. to make a favourable impression on beforehand

Word History and Origins

Origin of prepossess¹

First recorded in 1605–15; pre- + possess

Example Sentences

He was not a physically prepossessing young fellow.

From New York Times

Even the British explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton wasn’t immune: “Truly prepossessing was our first view of the then mysterious island of Zanzibar,” he wrote in “Zanzibar: City, Island, and Coast” in 1872.

From New York Times

It was the first time in his life he had been summoned to a principal’s office for disciplinary reasons and he did not find the circumstances prepossessing in any way.

From Literature

McLEAN, Va. — The campaign manager spoke about her candidate’s race with a veteran’s prepossessing self-assurance.

From New York Times

She was by all accounts a prepossessing woman, with flaxen, pompadoured hair and blue eyes.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• bias
• distort
• harm
• hinder
• impair
• poison
• predispose
• prejudge
• skew
• slant
• sway
• undermine
• vitiate