prejudice

Pluralprejudices

Formsprejudices, prejudicing, prejudiced

1. 1
   nouncountable

   An irrational feeling of hostility, fear, or hatred directed at a particular group, race, or religion.

   Racial prejudice continued to shape hiring decisions at the firm.

   Deep-seated prejudices against the immigrant community fueled the protests.

   Similarbigotry, intolerance, discrimination, bias, hostility

   Oppositetolerance, acceptance, open-mindedness

   Note

   Here the prejudice has a target: a group, a race or a religion, rather than a single proposal or person. The old joke "I am free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally" turns on exactly that. Hatred spread over everyone dodges the group-directed definition and misses its point entirely. Jane Austen's Emma (1816) already speaks of "the old prejudice" when a bailiff from Scotland is proposed for a new estate. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • The joke circulates with the wording "I am free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally." beyondintractability.org
   • Jane Austen's Emma is dated 1816. jasna.org
   • Emma contains "the old prejudice" in a discussion of employing a bailiff from Scotland on a new estate. gutenberg.org
2. 2
   nouncountable

   A negative judgment or opinion formed beforehand, without real knowledge of the facts.

   She admitted her prejudice against the proposal stemmed from a single bad review.

   The judge set aside personal prejudices to weigh the evidence fairly.

   Similarbias, preconception, prejudgment, predisposition

   Oppositeimpartiality, objectivity, open-mindedness, fairness

   Note

   The core of the word lies in its Latin parts. Praeiūdicium joins prae- "before" and iūdicium "judgment", so it names a verdict reached before the hearing. Macaulay's History of England pairs it with passion, "misled by prejudice and passion", and the pairing fits because both pull judgment away from the facts. Unlike the neutral preconception, this sense leans against its object, and "prejudice against" is its natural construction. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • Prejudice ultimately derives from Latin praeiūdicium, formed from prae- meaning "before" and iūdicium meaning "judgment". en.wiktionary.org
   • The Latin source conveys judgment before a hearing. etymonline.com
   • Macaulay's History of England contains "misled by prejudice and passion". gutenberg.org
3. 3
   nouncountable

   A preconceived opinion or feeling about something, whether favorable or unfavorable.

   A reader's prejudice in favor of an author can color how they read the book.

   We all carry prejudices, some kind and some unkind, into new friendships.

   Similarbias, preconception, predisposition, partiality

   Oppositeimpartiality, objectivity

   Note

   A wider, cooler use than the adverse judgment. Here the opinion may be favorable or hostile, and what marks it is only that it was never examined. "Morality is but a prejudice" uses it this way, dismissing a whole system of belief as inherited habit rather than reasoned conviction. When the direction matters, "prejudice in favor of" or "prejudice against" makes it explicit. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • “Morality is but a prejudice” illustrates the broader sense of a preconceived opinion, whether positive or negative. Wiktionary gives this exact sentence as an unattributed usage example, not as a quotation assigned to a named speaker. en.wiktionary.org
4. 4
   verbtransitive

   To cause someone to form a biased opinion and unfairly influence their thinking.

   The defense argued that the news coverage would prejudice potential jurors.

   He tried not to prejudice his students against the difficult text.

   Similarbias, influence, sway, predispose, poison

5. 5
   verbtransitive

   To have a negative effect on someone's position, chances, or interests.

   The lawyer warned that speaking to the press might prejudice his case.

   Filing the wrong form could prejudice your claim for compensation.

   Similardamage, harm, jeopardize, undermine, compromise

   Oppositehelp, benefit, strengthen, further

   Note

   The verb answers to the old "harm" sense: what is prejudiced here is a position, a case or a claim, not a mind. That separates it from the verb of biasing, and the object usually tells them apart. To prejudice a case damages its chances. To prejudice jurors sways their thinking. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • The verb meaning ‘to harm someone’s position, chances, or interests’ connects historically with the older noun sense ‘harm, injury, or detriment.’ etymonline.com
6. 6
   adjectivepronunciation spelling

   Pronunciation spelling of prejudiced.

   Some folks round here still prejudice against outsiders.

   She said her old boss was real prejudice toward the new hires.

   Note

   The spelling drops the final -d, so the adjective prejudiced, "having prejudices", looks identical to the noun and the base verb. Bel Kaufman's Up the Down Staircase (1965) gives it to a student who writes that "the teachers are too prejudice". The degree word too marks it as the adjective. In print it represents a voice, and it is not a form to imitate in standard prose. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

   • Prejudice is a pronunciation spelling of the adjective prejudiced, omitting its final written d and matching the spelling of the noun and base verb. en.wiktionary.org
   • The adjective prejudiced means having prejudices. en.wiktionary.org
   • Bel Kaufman wrote Up the Down Staircase, published in 1965. expressnews.com
   • Up the Down Staircase contains a student's written complaint that "the teachers are too prejudice"; the quotation represents the student's words, not Kaufman's own assertion. en.wiktionary.org
   • Prejudice functions as an adjective modified by too in the quoted sentence. en.wiktionary.org

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