preconceived

American  

[pree-kuhn-seevd] / ˌpri kənˈsivd /

adjective

1. (of an idea, opinion, etc.) formed beforehand, as before seeing evidence or as a result of a previously held prejudice.

   By challenging preconceived ideas about how things should be done, an outsider to the business can often identify helpful new strategies.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of preconceive.

Etymology

Origin of preconceived

First recorded in 1575–85; preconceive ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective; preconceive ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb

Explanation

When you already have an opinion about something before you've given it much thought, you can call that a preconceived idea. Many people have preconceived ideas about teenagers. It's almost always an idea or opinion that's described as preconceived. You might have preconceived ideas about what college will be like — in other words, you've formed a strong sense of what the experience will be before knowing much about it. Most preconceived ideas don't come from strong evidence, and many aren't true. The adjective is formed from pre, "before," and conceived, which here means "taken into the mind," from the Latin concipere, "to take in and hold."

Example Sentences

Generally, he did not prepare before starting a project, wanting to go in without preconceived ideas and using the shoot as his research.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

The Hell Cats, as a group, challenge voters’ preconceived notions about who can lead in the United States.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026

But Ms. Biss was always working, seeing beyond preconceived notions, soaking up experiences and writing about them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

“I wanted people who would look at data without preconceived notions,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 15, 2025

Jane’s alertness in moving, proved her as ready as her aunt had preconceived.

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

Related Words

• bigoted
• discriminatory
• dogmatic
• intolerant
• intransigent
• one-sided
• opinionated
• racist
• sexist
• xenophobic