prejudiced

adjective

prej·​u·​diced ˈpre-jə-dəst How to pronounce prejudiced (audio)
: resulting from or having a prejudice or bias for or especially against

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Prejudice: For or Against?

Although prejudice, with its connotations of intolerance , implies a negative bias, the word can be used in positive constructions:

I, too, appreciate projects that treat a difficult subject with rigor, although I'll confess to harboring a bit of prejudice toward thing-biographies.
Adam Baer, Harper's, May 2011

That's true for the participial adjective prejudiced as well:

“The question itself as posed in the survey obviously is prejudiced in favor of the program,” said Tod Story, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada.
Neal Morton, Las Vegas Review Journal, 2 Aug. 2016

In negative constructions, prejudice and prejudiced often precede against:

Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker on Tuesday ruled that claims of juror misconduct by former House Speaker Mike Hubbard failed to show that the jury was prejudiced against Hubbard.
Mike Cason, AL.com, 19 Oct. 2016

Example Sentences

Most Americans deny being prejudiced against people of other races. I was prejudiced against the movie because of its title.
Recent Examples on the Web Chris Nicholson, a friend in the Ph.D. program, said progressive peers branded Fishback a prejudiced, anti-woke crusader. C.j. Chivers, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2023 In the wake of several high-profile incidents in which alleged mass shooters shared prejudiced beliefs on social media, the findings add to the pressure on Facebook to curb such content. Naomi Nix, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2022 Former defense lawyer Keith Findley, co-founder of the Wisconsin Innocence Project and the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences, argues that this process is inevitably subjective and potentially prejudiced. Emily Bobrow, WSJ, 16 June 2022 An uphill battle, he’s forced to adjust to life with a disability and the prejudiced gaze of the biased society surrounding him. Holly Jones, Variety, 15 Aug. 2022 Baffled that such a baldly prejudiced policy was still on the books in 2019, Nadel and Plotka contacted Cooper to learn more about her work. Matt Nadel, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2023 This is the first numbing account of Black death in horror on the big screen played out to the masses, projecting the prejudiced social context and conversations concerning race off-screen and on. Malik Peay, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2023 After sudden eviction by their prejudiced landlord, Laila and Roshni, two transwomen, must put their wits together to find a home and reclaim their place in society. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2023 Not only do new theories discourage pandemic best practices like mask use, Jolley’s studies confirm that people steeped in conspiracies tend to become more prejudiced. Elizabeth Svoboda, Discover Magazine, 11 May 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prejudiced.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of prejudiced was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near prejudiced

Cite this Entry

“Prejudiced.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prejudiced. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Legal Definition

prejudiced

adjective
prej·​u·​diced
ˈpre-jə-dəst
: resulting from or having a prejudice or bias for or especially against
alleged that the trial judge was prejudiced

More from Merriam-Webster on prejudiced

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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