prejudice

[ prej-uh-dis ]

noun

1. an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
2. any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.

   Synonyms: predisposition, predilection, partiality, preconception

3. unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, especially of a hostile nature, regarding an ethnic, racial, social, or religious group.
4. such attitudes considered collectively:

   The war against prejudice is never-ending.

5. damage or injury; detriment:

   a law that operated to the prejudice of the majority.

verb (used with object)

, prej·u·diced, prej·u·dic·ing.

1. to affect with a prejudice, either favorable or unfavorable:

   His honesty and sincerity prejudiced us in his favor.

   Synonyms: influence, bias

prejudice

/ ˈprɛdʒʊdɪs /

noun

1. an opinion formed beforehand, esp an unfavourable one based on inadequate facts
2. the act or condition of holding such opinions
3. intolerance of or dislike for people of a specific race, religion, etc
4. disadvantage or injury resulting from prejudice
5. to the prejudice of
   to the detriment of
6. without prejudice
   law without dismissing or detracting from an existing right or claim

verb

1. to cause to be prejudiced
2. to disadvantage or injure by prejudice

prejudice

1. A hostile opinion about some person or class of persons. Prejudice is socially learned and is usually grounded in misconception, misunderstanding, and inflexible generalizations. In particular, African-Americans have been victims of prejudice on a variety of social, economic, and political levels. ( See civil rights movement and segregation .)

Other Words From

• preju·diced·ly adverb
• preju·dice·less adjective
• non·preju·diced adjective
• quasi-preju·diced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prejudice¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin praejūdicium “prejudgment,” originally “preliminary or previous judicial inquiry,” equivalent to prae- pre- + jūdicium “legal proceedings, judging” ( jūdic-, stem of jūdex judge + -ium -ium )

Word History and Origins

Origin of prejudice¹

C13: from Old French préjudice, from Latin praejūdicium a preceding judgment, disadvantage, from prae before + jūdicium trial, sentence, from jūdex a judge

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. without prejudice, Law. without dismissing, damaging, or otherwise affecting a legal interest or demand.

Synonym Study

See bias.

Example Sentences

They are flesh-and-blood evidence of the ways in which our prejudices and stereotypes hinder the economic stability of the hardest workers and professional advancement of some of this country’s most talented residents.

From Washington Post

The duke, the lady and the baby-face queen — these characters’ struggles are not framed by slavery or prejudice.

From Washington Post

As Hinds and other critics pointed out, the show also explicitly references slavery — so the “fantasy” of this 1813 is still anchored in the reality of systemic prejudice.

From Vox

For once, death, and the death in life of prejudice, could claim nothing but the skeleton of an old man.

From Washington Post

Quantum mechanics needs no particular interpretation if it is formulated without the preexisting prejudice that nature should exhibit cause-and-effect determinism.

From Science News

I do, however, intend it to sound mean about the reactionary, prejudice-infested place she comes from.

From The Daily Beast

A few days ago, he criticized his home state of Alabama for its entrenched prejudice.

From The Daily Beast

But the exemption was also born of prejudice and discrimination.

From The Daily Beast

So specious, in fact, that they are increasingly seen to be rationales to cover outdated forms of prejudice.

From The Daily Beast

If The Biggest Loser could correct this misconception, it would do a lot to reduce anti-obesity prejudice.

From The Daily Beast

Finally, let me ask the general reader to put aside all prejudice, and give both sides a fair hearing.

From Project Gutenberg

Thou fell spirit of pride, prejudice, ignorance, and mauvaise honte!

From Project Gutenberg

It is beyond the comprehension of any man not blinded by superstition, not warped by prejudice and old-time convention.

From Project Gutenberg

The last vestige of her prejudice against Indians had melted and gone, in the presence of their simple-hearted friendliness.

From Project Gutenberg

With Monsieur de Lussigny,” he interposed, “it is a matter of prejudice, not of principle.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bias
• distort
• harm
• hinder
• impair
• poison
• predispose
• prejudge
• skew
• slant
• sway
• undermine
• vitiate

More About Prejudice

What does prejudice mean?

Prejudice is a bias or a preconceived opinion, idea, or belief about something.

When you act based on prejudice, you make up your mind about something and make generalizations about it before fully knowing about it. Though a prejudice can be positive, the word most often refers to unfair and strongly held negative judgments—especially hostile judgments about certain people.

Prejudice can refer to a specific instance of such a belief, as in He clearly has a prejudice against people of color, or such beliefs collectively, as in We need to eliminate prejudice from society. 

Prejudice against people can be based on many parts of their identity, including race, ethnicity, religion, gender or gender identity, sexuality, and language. Such prejudices often create stereotypes about members of such groups.

A common and widespread form of prejudice is racism, in which a person believes in the superiority of what they consider to be their own “race” over others. This most often takes the form of believing that those with other skin colors—especially darker skin colors—are inferior physically, intellectually, morally, and/or culturally, and mistreating and discriminating against them because of this. However, the word racism is often used to refer to more than just a prejudice or an active hatred but to a system of oppression based on such prejudice (often called systemic racism or institutional racism).

Someone who has a prejudice against others can be described as prejudiced. Unfair treatment based on prejudice or causing prejudice can be described as prejudicial.

Less commonly, the word prejudice can also be used as a verb meaning to cause to be prejudiced against someone or something, as in Bad press has prejudiced many voters against the candidate.

Where does prejudice come from?

The first records of the word prejudice come from the second half of the 1200s. It comes from the Latin praejūdicium, a term that means “prejudgement” and was originally used in the context of law. The prefix pre- means “before,” and the second part of the word derives from the Latin jūdex, which means “judge” and is the basis of many law-related words, such as judicial.

When you hold a prejudice against someone, you prejudge them—you make up your mind about what they’re like before you even know them. Some people who hold a prejudice against a group have never even met a member of that group. In this way, prejudice is often a failure to treat people as individuals. Though prejudice is often a personal belief, the prevalence of such beliefs can and does form the basis of systemic oppression.

Prejudice is often the reason that certain groups are marginalized (treated as inferior and less important and pushed to the edges of society) and discriminated against. Different forms of prejudice often have specific names, such racism, colorism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and ageism.

Despite its association with such forms of intolerance, the word prejudice is also commonly used in a more general way, as in I didn’t expect the movie to be that good—I guess I just have a prejudice against romantic comedies. A notable use of the word prejudice in literature is in the title of the Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to prejudice?

• prejudiced (adjective)
• prejudicial (adjective)

What are some synonyms for prejudice?

• preconception
• bias
• discrimination
• bigotry
• intolerance

What are some words that share a root or word element with prejudice? 

 

• prejudge
• judge
• judicial
• judiciary

What are some words that often get used in discussing prejudice?

 

• racism
• racial
• sexism
• misogyny
• anti-Semitism
• Islamophobia
• homophobia
• transphobia
• ableism
• ageism
• pride

How is prejudice used in real life?

Prejudice is most often used in a serious way to refer to hatred of certain types of people.

I'm seeing that we need to have a talk about racism.

Racism is not just prejudice.

Racism = Racial prejudice + social and institutional power.

🧵

— Dr. Juliette McClendon (@DrJulietteM) July 7, 2020

Thank you, @jemelehill, for writing this poignant and important piece about how experiencing one type of prejudice doesn't automatically sensitize people to other forms of bigotry.https://t.co/DWmlgqAWxE

— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) July 13, 2020

“Trans people were promised change, but instead they face deepening prejudice”https://t.co/xi1EGux9Wg

— Trans Actual (@TransActualUK) July 1, 2020

 

 

Try using prejudice!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym for prejudice?

A. bigotry
B. intolerance
C. bias
D. acceptance