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

“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

Conversely, critics have been the ones quick to deem the film mere sensationalism, seemingly clinging to preconceived notions about how certain themes should be talked about within the medium.

From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2026

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

Largely because of Disney and posed “natural” wildlife films and television programs I had preconceived ideas about wolves, about what wolves should be and do.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

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