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

prejudicially

ˌpre-jə-ˈdi-sh(ə-)lē 

adverb

prejudicialness

ˌpre-jə-ˈdi-shəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• adverse
• bad
• baleful
• baneful
• damaging
• dangerous
• deleterious
• detrimental
• evil
• harmful
• hurtful
• ill
• injurious
• mischievous
• nocuous
• noxious
• pernicious
• wicked

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

The initial prosecutors also made statements about holding Baldwin responsible for his actions, prompting criticism from defense attorneys that such commentary was prejudicial against the actor. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2024

However, among Americans with negative racial attitudes – which is a phrase used by scholars of public opinion to characterize respondents who hold prejudicial, stereotypical or racist views of people of color – support for DEI training was much lower. —Adam Eichen, The Conversation, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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