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

However, the judge ruled neither exchange could be entered as evidence, saying the $1 million cash conversation was too prejudicial, while the Gina message lacked context and the necessary foundation to be shown to the jury. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2025

Judge Subramanian denied the defense's first motion, ruling that the questions were not prejudicial. —Toria Sheffield, People.com, 8 June 2025

But Subramanian sided with the prosecution, which claimed that footage of Mia doing shots would be more prejudicial than probative. —Nbc News, NBC news, 2 June 2025

Judge Subramanian ruled that the questioning was not prejudicial and that no objections had been raised prior to the two questions related to the fingerprints. —Elizabeth Rosner, People.com, 28 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prejudicial

• artificial
• beneficial
• cicatricial
• interstitial
• nonjudicial
• nonofficial
• sacrificial
• superficial
• unofficial
• extrajudicial
• semiofficial
• initial

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