Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for preconceived notion. Search instead for preconceived notions.
Synonyms

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

The trouble is that we assume that we know something about the past, because we have somewhere obtained a vague notion of it and then we fill in details in accordance with that preconceived notion.

From Education: How Old The New by Walsh, James J.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.