Definition of prejudicenext

prejudice

2 of 2

verb

as in to bias
to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge all the bad stories I had heard about the incoming CEO prejudiced me against him even before the first meeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun prejudice contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of prejudice are bias, predilection, and prepossession. While all these words mean "an attitude of mind that predisposes one to favor something," prejudice usually implies an unfavorable prepossession and connotes a feeling rooted in suspicion, fear, or intolerance.

a mindless prejudice against the unfamiliar

When would bias be a good substitute for prejudice?

The synonyms bias and prejudice are sometimes interchangeable, but bias implies an unreasoned and unfair distortion of judgment in favor of or against a person or thing.

a strong bias toward the plaintiff

When is predilection a more appropriate choice than prejudice?

The words predilection and prejudice are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, predilection implies a strong liking deriving from one's temperament or experience.

a predilection for travel

In what contexts can prepossession take the place of prejudice?

The meanings of prepossession and prejudice largely overlap; however, prepossession suggests a fixed conception likely to preclude objective judgment of anything counter to it.

a prepossession against technology

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prejudice
Noun
Her initial lawsuit, filed in May 2024, was dismissed with prejudice in September 2025. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2026 Our judicial system is fraught with inconsistencies and prejudice, and at its worst, corruption. Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026
Verb
The goal is to avoid potential jurors who may be prejudiced, the law firm said. Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 June 2026 The procurement department, in another ruling in April, found Spesshardt provided information to GPS and other division supervisors that could prejudice the outside investigators during their work. Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 31 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for prejudice
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prejudice
Noun
  • The key to passing legislation is treating all energy equally and making clear that final permits cannot be undone based on political bias on the left or the right.
    Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 9 July 2026
  • Why LLMs struggle with spreadsheets Part of why structured data has garnered less attention is a very human bias, argues Boris van Breugel, a senior AI researcher based in Amsterdam.
    Benjamin Skuse, IEEE Spectrum, 9 July 2026
Noun
  • His speech was part of a campaign to fight housing segregation in Chicago.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • Spending limits, segregation of duties, approval thresholds and mandatory human checkpoints—these have to be built into the system so the agent can't route around them.
    Rahul Bhatia, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • Following the 2008 housing meltdown, private equity firms such as Blackstone bought thousands of single-family homes at bargain prices and turned them into rentals.
    Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • The TikTok edits, the outfit identification threads, the contestant rivalries trending on X by the end of an episode, all of it turns 60 minutes of passive viewing into a multi-platform conversation that runs all week.
    Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Prejudice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prejudice. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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