Definitions for prejudice
ˈprɛdʒ ə dɪsprej·u·dice

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.5 / 6 votes

1. bias, prejudice, preconceptionverb

   a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation

2. prejudiceverb

   disadvantage by prejudice

3. prejudice, prepossessverb

   influence (somebody's) opinion in advance

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.8 / 8 votes

1. prejudicenoun

   An adverse judgement or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge of the facts.

2. prejudicenoun

   Any preconceived opinion or feeling, whether positive or negative.

3. prejudicenoun

   An irrational hostile attitude, fear or hatred towards a particular group, race or religion.

4. prejudicenoun

   The damage caused by such fear or hatred.

5. prejudicenoun

   Knowledge formed in advance; foresight, presaging.

6. prejudiceverb

   To have a negative impact on someone's position, chances etc.

7. prejudiceverb

   To cause prejudice.

8. Etymology: From préjudice, from praeiudicium, from prae- + iudicium.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PREJUDICEnoun

   Etymology: prejudice, Fr. prejudicium, Lat.

   1. Prepossession; judgment formed beforehand without examination. It is used for prepossession in favour of any thing or against it. It is sometimes used with to before that which the prejudice is against, but not properly.

   The king himself frequently considered more the person who spoke, as he was in his prejudice, than the counsel itself that was given. Edward Hyde, b. viii.

   My comfort is, that their manifest prejudice to my cause will render their judgment of less authority. Dryden.

   There is an unaccountable prejudice to projectors of all kinds, for which reason, when I talk of practising to fly, silly people think me an owl for my pains. Addison.

   2. Mischief; detriment; hurt; injury. This sense is only accidental or consequential; a bad thing being called a prejudice, only because prejudice is commonly a bad thing, and is not derived from the original or etymology of the word: it were therefore better to use it less; perhaps prejudice ought never to be applied to any mischief, which does not imply some partiality or prepossession. In some of the following examples its impropriety will be discovered.

   I have not spake one the least word,
   That might be prejudice of her present state,
   Or touch of her good person. William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

   England and France might, through their amity,
   Breed him some prejudice; for from this league
   Peep’d harms that menac’d him. William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

   Factions carried too high and too violently, is a sign of weakness in princes, and much to the prejudice of their authority and business. Francis Bacon.

   How plain this abuse is, and what prejudice it does to the understanding of the sacred scriptures. John Locke.

   A prince of this character will instruct us by his example, to fix the unsteadiness of our politicks; or by his conduct hinder it from doing us any prejudice. Addison.

2. To Prejudiceverb

   Etymology: from the noun.

   1. To prepossess with unexamined opinions; to fill with prejudices.

   Half-pillars wanted their expected height,
   And roofs imperfect prejudic’d the sight. Matthew Prior.

   Suffer not any beloved study to prejudice your mind, so far as to despise all other learning. Isaac Watts.

   No snares to captivate the mind he spreads,
   Nor bribes your eyes to prejudice your heads. Anonym.

   2. To obstruct or injure by prejudices previously raised.

   Companies of learned men, be they never so great and reverend, are to yield unto reason; the weight whereof is no whit prejudiced by the simplicity of his person, which doth alledge it. Richard Hooker, b. ii. s. 7.

   Neither must his example, done without the book, prejudice that which is well appointed in the book. John Whitgift.

   I am not to prejudice the cause of my fellow-poets, though I abandon my own defence. Dryden.

   3. To injure; to hurt; to diminish; to impair; to be detrimental to. This sense, as in the noun, is often improperly extended to meanings that have no relation to the original sense; who can read with patience of an ingredient that prejudices a medicine?

   The strength of that law is such, that no particular nation can lawfully prejudice the same by any their several laws and ordinances, more than a man by his private resolutions, the law of the whole commonwealth wherein he liveth. Richard Hooker.

   The Danube rescu’d, and the empire sav’d,
   Say, is the majesty of verse retriev’d?
   And would it prejudice thy softer vein,
   To sing the princes, Louis and Eugene? Matthew Prior.

   To this is added a vinous bitter, warmer in the composition of its ingredients than the watry infusion; and, as gentian and lemon-peel make a bitter of so grateful a flavour, the only care required in this composition was to chuse such an addition as might not prejudice it. London Dispensatory.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 2 votes

1. Prejudicenoun

   foresight

2. Prejudicenoun

   an opinion or judgment formed without due examination; prejudgment; a leaning toward one side of a question from other considerations than those belonging to it; an unreasonable predilection for, or objection against, anything; especially, an opinion or leaning adverse to anything, without just grounds, or before sufficient knowledge

3. Prejudicenoun

   a bias on the part of judge, juror, or witness which interferes with fairness of judgment

4. Prejudicenoun

   mischief; hurt; damage; injury; detriment

5. Prejudicenoun

   to cause to have prejudice; to prepossess with opinions formed without due knowledge or examination; to bias the mind of, by hasty and incorrect notions; to give an unreasonable bent to, as to one side or the other of a cause; as, to prejudice a critic or a juryman

6. Prejudicenoun

   to obstruct or injure by prejudices, or by previous bias of the mind; hence, generally, to hurt; to damage; to injure; to impair; as, to prejudice a good cause

7. Etymology: [Cf. F. prjudicier. See Prejudice, n.]

FreebaseRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. Prejudice

   The word prejudice refers to prejudgment: i.e. making a decision before becoming aware of the relevant facts of a case. In recent times, the word has come to be most often used to refer to preconceived, usually unfavorable, judgments toward people or a person because of gender, social class, age, disability, religion, sexuality, race/ethnicity, language, nationality or other personal characteristics. In this case it refers to a positive or negative evaluation of another person based on their group membership. Prejudice can also refer to unfounded beliefs and may include "any unreasonable attitude that is unusually resistant to rational influence." Gordon Allport defined prejudice as a "feeling, favorable or unfavorable, toward a person or thing, prior to, or not based on, actual experience."

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Prejudice

   prej′ū-dis, n. a judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without due examination: a prejudgment: unreasonable prepossession for or against anything: bias: injury or wrong of any kind: disadvantage: mischief.—v.t. to fill with prejudice: to cause a prejudice against: to prepossess: to bias the mind of: to injure or hurt.—adj. Prejudi′cial, causing prejudice or injury: disadvantageous: injurious: mischievous: tending to obstruct.—adv. Prejudi′cially.—n. Prejudi′cialness. [O. Fr.,—L. præjudicium—præ, before, judicium, judgment.]

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Prejudice

   A preconceived judgment made without adequate evidence and not easily alterable by presentation of contrary evidence.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. prejudice

   An opinion or decision of mind formed without due examination; prejudgment; a bias or leaning toward one side or the other of a question from other considerations than those belonging to it; an unreasonable predilection or prepossession for or against anything; especially, an opinion or leaning adverse to anything formed without proper grounds, or before suitable knowledge.

Matched Categories

1. • Disadvantage
   • Influence
   • Justice

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'prejudice' in Nouns Frequency: #2234

How to pronounce prejudice?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say prejudice in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of prejudice in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of prejudice in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of prejudice in a Sentence

1. Hillary Clinton:

   He has been trafficking in prejudice and paranoia throughout this campaign.

2. Benjamin Franklin:

   Educate your children to self-control, to the habit of holding passion and prejudice and evil tendencies subject to an upright and reasoning will, and you have done much to abolish misery from their future and crimes from society.

3. Tom Malinowski:

   Conspiracy theories that falsely blame secret cabals and marginalized groups for the problems of society have long fueled prejudice, violence and terrorism, it's time for us to come together across party lines to say that QAnon has no place in our nation's political discourse.

4. Abe Foxman:

   All my life I was lucky enough to fight prejudice and anti-Semitism, if you don't believe you can change people's hearts and minds, why bother ? If you are not going to try and change hearts and minds, why are you in this business at all ?

5. John Ratcliffe:

   Hes looking at the same documents that I am, hes not sharing his findings or the work that hes doing. But Im coordinating with him to make sure that he has the intelligence documents that he needs to do his work. And what I dont want to do is declassify something that might prejudice his work. So were going to have to coordinate as we go forward with the completion of his work with my ability to declassify documents.

Popularity rank by frequency of use