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
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
Daybell, who is representing herself, objected to her trial being filmed, arguing that publicity could be prejudicial, but Beresky ruled that a single camera feed would be allowed with restrictions: no media coverage during jury selection and a broadcast delay in any livestream feed.
—
Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 11 Mar. 2025
But New York’s highest court awarded Weinstein a new trial, saying the former trial judge had allowed prejudicial testimony.
—Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
The defense tried mightily to exclude the video, arguing, in part, that any relevance was outweighed by the prejudicial effect.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 4 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for prejudicial
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Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 11 Mar. 2025
But New York’s highest court awarded Weinstein a new trial, saying the former trial judge had allowed prejudicial testimony.
—Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
The defense tried mightily to exclude the video, arguing, in part, that any relevance was outweighed by the prejudicial effect.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 4 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for prejudicial
Cite this Entry
“Prejudicial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prejudicial. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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
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