forbidden words: prejudice

prejudice

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.

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

   His honesty and sincerity prejudiced us in his favor.

   Synonyms: influence, bias

Other Word Forms

• prejudicedly adverb
• prejudiceless adjective
• nonprejudiced adjective
• quasi-prejudiced 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 )

Idioms and Phrases

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

Synonym Study

See bias.

Related Words

• animosity 
• bias 
• bigotry 
• chauvinism 
• discrimination 
• enmity 
• injustice 
• intolerance 
• preconception 
• predilection 
• predisposition 
• racism 
• sexism 
• xenophobia 

When To Use

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.

from — Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words. (2025j). In Dictionary.com. 

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example sentences: prejudice

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September 17, 2025
Hudson Valley, New York

This is one of the words/ phrases you can’t say in the new Trump Administration. See a comprehensive list at the Forbidden Words Project.

image: moon glow on the wire © Holly Troy 9.2025