prejudice 1 of 2

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

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
All eight counts were dismissed without prejudice, though it wasn't immediately known why. Nick Lentz, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026 So have all these old prejudices against women made young employees more jaded about the benefits of getting promoted? Glamour, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
In court, Kayumi’s lawyer, Michael Arthus, pointed to the extensive publicity surrounding the case and asked that prosecutors avoid saying anything that could prejudice potential jurors. Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026 Kayumi’s lawyer, Michael Arthus, pointed in court to the extensive publicity surrounding the case and asked that prosecutors avoid saying anything that could prejudice potential jurors. Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prejudice
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prejudice
Noun
  • That proposal made national headlines and led to months of reckoning with racial bias after a Center School parent was caught on a hot mic during a remote school board meeting.
    Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Providers also can fall victim to inadvertent bias, assuming a young, otherwise healthy patient must be dealing with something other than shingles.
    Alyssa Sparacino, Glamour, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • While racism’s roots run deep in America and many factors contribute to it, Florida’s Republican leaders have spent the last eight years helping stoke the fires.
    Mary Ellen Klas, Twin Cities, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Vampires emerge not as mere monsters but as spectral embodiments of racism’s unending drain on Black life in the South, a haunting metaphor for generational trauma.
    Essence, Essence, 3 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Chicago had to remake its safety depth chart this offseason, and Coby Bryant and Thieneman have turned a potential weakness into a strength.
    Dane Brugler, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
  • The scene at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington turned chaotic, Los Angeles Times reporters wrote, when a man dashed toward the dining area and was met with gunfire.
    Karim Doumar, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The reasoning, which contradicted every previous Supreme Court decision on segregation, cited the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
    Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
  • The deputies walked the man to a jail segregation unit before the video ended.
    Darrell Smith May 1, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prejudice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prejudice. Accessed 3 May. 2026.

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