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 of prejudicial

• detrimental
• harmful
• adverse
• damaging
• dangerous

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

Judge William Sullivan sided with prosecutors, who said allowing women to testify who have no connection to this tragic case and are not experts, would be prejudicial, and require prosecutors to call even more witnesses. — Kristina Rex, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Sooknanan also became the subject of a bar complaint filed last week by the watchdog group Democracy Restored, which accused the judge of dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice during her tenure as a senior DOJ official. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 7 July 2026

In addition, the judge was right to exclude from evidence Motsinger’s 1970s-era LSD and marijuana use as irrelevant, prejudicial and improper character evidence, the Motsinger attorneys further state. — City News Service, Daily News, 31 May 2026

Musk’s lawyers argued that such sentiments were blatantly prejudicial. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 2026

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