prejudiced

American  

[prej-uh-dist] / ˈprɛdʒ ə dɪst /

adjective

1. influenced by prejudice; having a preconceived opinion or feeling, especially an unreasoning or unfavorable one.

   Prejudiced people will almost certainly claim that they have sufficient evidence for their views.

   Synonyms:

   biased

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Etymology

Origin of prejudiced

First recorded in 1570–90; prejudice ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

If you've decided that you don't like or trust someone before you've actually met them, you're prejudiced. It's unfortunately common to have prejudiced views of people who are different from you. It's prejudiced to have negative opinions about people because of their gender, religion, skin color, or the language they speak. It's equally prejudiced to say things like "She can't be very smart — her family is poor" or "They are so old, there's no way they'll think this movie is funny." Each of these statements reveals an unfair, preconceived idea of what someone is like based on one personal characteristic.

Example Sentences

Labour county councillor Jewel Miah, who was also in the briefing, said Abbott's remarks were prejudiced and has called for him to resign.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

Helder Barbalho, the governor of the state of Para, where Belem is located, slammed "the prejudiced" comments on the X social network.

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

Alex’s team filed the long-anticipated appeal of his convictions, arguing there were errors during his trial that prejudiced the jury in his case.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2025

Ebony, meanwhile, hopes that people watching the documentary learn more about the GRT community and aren't so prejudiced towards them.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2025

She thought Catherine came from very good people and that prejudiced her in her favor finally.

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

Related Words

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