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
When canvassers engaged voters in typical back-and-forth arguments, few voters who had prejudicial opinions changed them.
—
Elizabeth Svoboda, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
The defense motion characterizes the press coverage of Madigan as negative, slanted and prejudicial.
—Brett Rowland | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Sep. 2024
In a 4-3 ruling the court found that allowing women who were not part of the case to testify about Weinstein’s behavior was prejudicial.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2024
Baldwin’s lawyers filed a motion in March claiming special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey gave prejudicial instructions to the grand jury, which indicted the actor in January.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 28 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for prejudicial 
Elizabeth Svoboda, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
The defense motion characterizes the press coverage of Madigan as negative, slanted and prejudicial.
—Brett Rowland | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Sep. 2024
In a 4-3 ruling the court found that allowing women who were not part of the case to testify about Weinstein’s behavior was prejudicial.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2024
Baldwin’s lawyers filed a motion in March claiming special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey gave prejudicial instructions to the grand jury, which indicted the actor in January.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 28 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for prejudicial
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 31 Oct. 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