prejudicial

adjective

ˌpre-jə-ˈdi-shəl How to pronounce prejudicial (audio)
Definition of prejudicialnext
1
as in detrimental
causing or capable of causing harm pretrial publicity that may be extremely prejudicial to a defendant's right to a fair trial

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in adverse
opposed to one's interests the defense will try to counterbalance the mass of prejudicial evidence presented by the prosecution

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 prejudicial 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 In 2022, however, the Georgia Supreme Court tossed out the murder verdict (PDF), saying that prosecutors had introduced needlessly inflammatory and prejudicial material about Harris’ personal life at his trial. — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for prejudicial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prejudicial
  1. detrimental
  2. adverse
  3. harmful
  4. negative
  5. damaging
  6. unfavorable
  7. dangerous
  8. hostile
Adjective
  • Cannabis impairs cognitive functioning and can be particularly detrimental to young brains that are still developing.
    — Sarah Owermohle, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2026
  • So in this episode of the Outdoor Life Podcast, Sturgis will reference his decades of experience working on private land habitat as well as his time spent hunting on public ground to outline the most common and detrimental deer hunting mistakes.
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of detrimental
Adjective
  • If Uncle Sam does not change course, America’s unsustainable fiscal mess will result in adverse economic, national security, foreign relations, and domestic tranquility consequences.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Police have not confirmed whether any of the children consumed the gummies or experienced any adverse effects.
    — Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of adverse
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, Meta has faced lawsuits alleging that its platforms contribute to harmful experiences for children and teenagers.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Educators aren’t prepared to supervise AI use, while students may struggle to tell which tools are safe or harmful, the release said.
    — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of harmful
Adjective
  • None of the five Heat players used off the bench on Tuesday finished with a negative plus/minus.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2026
  • According to MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate’s most recent Baltimore metro market report, city retail properties face elevated vacancy, negative absorption and relatively low rents, signaling challenges in some urban retail locations.
    — Courtney Bell, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of negative
Adjective
  • In the letter, Hood emphasizes the damaging emotional toll executions take on corrections officers, medical examiners and victims’ families.
    — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Opinion polls still show right-wing parties favored to form the next government, after eight years of Sánchez’s leadership and a damaging set of corruption scandals involving figures within the Prime Minister’s inner circle.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of damaging
Adjective
  • Cooper wanted to accept; Franklyn did not, maintaining that the terms were still unfavorable.
    — Anna Tingley, Variety, 10 Nov. 2026
  • With the appearance of Omitsu’s lover, her reputation among the villagers, which had improved, took an unfavorable turn.
    — Yasushi Inoue, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of unfavorable
Adjective
  • Though Awawdeh was friendly, Jontay knew that he was connected to some dangerous associates, including the Gambino crime family in New York.
    — New Yorker, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026
  • But the proliferation of inexpensive first-person-view (FPV) aerial drones has made this incredibly dangerous.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of dangerous
Adjective
  • Its ability to strike land targets from considerable distances allows naval forces to conduct precision attacks without moving their launch platforms close to hostile territory.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
  • North Korea’s constitution had been offline since March 2024, months after Kim had declared at a party plenary meeting in late 2023 that the two Koreas are separate, hostile states.
    — Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of hostile

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prejudices
prejudicial
prejudicing
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Cite this Entry

“Prejudicial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prejudicial. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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