preconceived notion

American  

[pree-kuhn-seevd noh-shuhn] / ˈpri kənˌsivd ˈnoʊ ʃən /

noun

1. an idea or judgment about something formed before encountering any evidence or firsthand information.

   It’s important to note the obstacles, but we don't want to begin with the preconceived notion that this project is simply undoable.

   Even back then, she wasn’t deterred by the naysayers and their preconceived notions about what careers women could or couldn't have.

---

Etymology

Origin of preconceived notion

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

preconceived notion

There’s an upside for Dyer, too: “It helps that I’m not so plugged in to America’s relationship to the DMV. I don’t have a preconceived notion that people think the place is terrible.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025

Anything that taints their preconceived notion of how they should be.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2023

Laz Alonso recalled his days as an aspiring actor trying to break into the industry with the preconceived notion that all actors were rich.

From Reuters ● Jul. 4, 2023

Jurors are supposed to assess the case on its merits, not their preconceived notion of the defendant.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2023

But they came out with the preconceived notion that kindness would win the people over, whereas what those people wanted was not foreign kindness but home rule, not silken political swaddling clothes, but freedom.

From The American Occupation of the Philippines 1898-1912 by James H. Blount

Related Words

• preconception