prejudicial
adjective
prej·u·di·cial
ˌpre-jə-ˈdi-shəl 
1
: tending to injure or impair : detrimental
a transfer prejudicial to other creditors
2
: leading to premature judgment or unwarranted opinion
prejudicial evidence
Synonyms
Examples of prejudicial in a Sentence
The judge ruled that the prejudicial effect of the evidence outweighed its value.
pretrial publicity that may be extremely prejudicial to a defendant's right to a fair trial
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump’s lawyers can argue those details are prejudicial.
—
Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Step 7: Look For Other Warning Signs There are other red flags too, like the use of prejudicial tropes about the group allegedly behind the conspiracy, particularly antisemitic allegations.
—H. Colleen Sinclair, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2024
Citing her distance from the records, Mr. Trump’s lawyers sought a mistrial for the second time this week, arguing Ms. Daniels’s testimony was irrelevant and prejudicial.
—Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 9 May 2024
The defense objected to prurient details as prejudicial, and Justice Juan Merchan scolded her at least twice, telling her to stick to the questions asked and not meander down verbal alleyways.
—Peter Grier, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 May 2024
His conviction and sentence have been upheld on appeal in state and federal court, though in 2021 a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the sentence, finding his trial attorney’s work during the sentencing phase of Pye’s trial was deficient and prejudicial.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Prosecutors blast Trump's effort to further delay his criminal hush money trial
Defense lawyers have attempted to prevent Daniels from serving as a witness at trial by arguing her testimony would be salacious and prejudicial to the jury.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2024
At a pretrial hearing, Mr. Majors’s defense argued that the submission would be prejudicial to their client, and the judge agreed.
—Melena Ryzik, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024
Gentry’s lawyers said the recordings are overly prejudicial and only serve to elicit a visceral reaction from the jury, adding that jurors will hear witness testimony about how the shooting unfolded and Kidwell’s cause of death.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2024
Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Step 7: Look For Other Warning Signs There are other red flags too, like the use of prejudicial tropes about the group allegedly behind the conspiracy, particularly antisemitic allegations.
—H. Colleen Sinclair, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2024
Citing her distance from the records, Mr. Trump’s lawyers sought a mistrial for the second time this week, arguing Ms. Daniels’s testimony was irrelevant and prejudicial.
—Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 9 May 2024
The defense objected to prurient details as prejudicial, and Justice Juan Merchan scolded her at least twice, telling her to stick to the questions asked and not meander down verbal alleyways.
—Peter Grier, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 May 2024
His conviction and sentence have been upheld on appeal in state and federal court, though in 2021 a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the sentence, finding his trial attorney’s work during the sentencing phase of Pye’s trial was deficient and prejudicial.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Prosecutors blast Trump's effort to further delay his criminal hush money trial
Defense lawyers have attempted to prevent Daniels from serving as a witness at trial by arguing her testimony would be salacious and prejudicial to the jury.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2024
At a pretrial hearing, Mr. Majors’s defense argued that the submission would be prejudicial to their client, and the judge agreed.
—Melena Ryzik, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024
Gentry’s lawyers said the recordings are overly prejudicial and only serve to elicit a visceral reaction from the jury, adding that jurors will hear witness testimony about how the shooting unfolded and Kidwell’s cause of death.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prejudicial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near prejudicial
Cite this Entry
“Prejudicial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prejudicial. Accessed 19 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prejudicial
adjective
prej·u·di·cial
ˌprej-ə-ˈdish-əl
: tending to cause damage : detrimental
Legal Definition
prejudicial
adjective
prej·u·di·cial
ˌpre-jə-ˈdi-shəl
: having the effect of prejudice: as
a
: tending to injure or impair rights
such a transfer would be prejudicial to other creditors
b
: leading to a decision or judgment on an improper basis
the evidence was excluded because it was more prejudicial than probative
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share