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

See Examples For:

preconceived

I think that many baby boomers have remained more active than our parents in general and that is a major difference and reason why we might be challenging some preconceived notions on aging.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

“He’s learning new things about himself. I was really open to finding the scene organically on the day and not coming in with any preconceived choices. And I found so much more enjoyment in it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Delevingne said she has used humour and being self-deprecating in the past but had to learn to take herself more seriously when it came to music, knowing that people will have preconceived ideas about her.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

When epidemiologist Antoine Flahault addressed a French governmental health conference alongside other health experts on Tuesday, he urged scientists, journalists and the general public to "be wary of preconceived notions".

From Barron's ● May 13, 2026

Conventional advertisers have preconceived ideas about what makes an advertisement work: humor, splashy graphics, a celebrity endorser.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

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