What does prejudice mean?

Definitions for prejudice
ˈprɛdʒ ə dɪsprej·u·dice

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word prejudice.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. bias, prejudice, preconceptionverb

    a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation

  2. prejudiceverb

    disadvantage by prejudice

  3. prejudice, prepossessverb

    influence (somebody's) opinion in advance

Wiktionary

  1. prejudicenoun

    An adverse judgement or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge of the facts.

  2. prejudicenoun

    Any preconceived opinion or feeling, whether positive or negative.

  3. prejudicenoun

    An irrational hostile attitude, fear or hatred towards a particular group, race or religion.

  4. prejudicenoun

    The damage caused by such fear or hatred.

  5. prejudicenoun

    Knowledge formed in advance; foresight, presaging.

  6. prejudiceverb

    To have a negative impact on someone's position, chances etc.

  7. prejudiceverb

    To cause prejudice.

  8. Etymology: From préjudice, from praeiudicium, from prae- + iudicium.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. PREJUDICEnoun

    Etymology: prejudice, Fr. prejudicium, Lat.

    The king himself frequently considered more the person who spoke, as he was in his prejudice, than the counsel itself that was given. Edward Hyde, b. viii.

    My comfort is, that their manifest prejudice to my cause will render their judgment of less authority. Dryden.

    There is an unaccountable prejudice to projectors of all kinds, for which reason, when I talk of practising to fly, silly people think me an owl for my pains. Addison.

    I have not spake one the least word,
    That might be prejudice of her present state,
    Or touch of her good person. William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

    England and France might, through their amity,
    Breed him some prejudice; for from this league
    Peep’d harms that menac’d him. William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

    Factions carried too high and too violently, is a sign of weakness in princes, and much to the prejudice of their authority and business. Francis Bacon.

    How plain this abuse is, and what prejudice it does to the understanding of the sacred scriptures. John Locke.

    A prince of this character will instruct us by his example, to fix the unsteadiness of our politicks; or by his conduct hinder it from doing us any prejudice. Addison.

  2. To Prejudiceverb

    Etymology: from the noun.

    Half-pillars wanted their expected height,
    And roofs imperfect prejudic’d the sight. Matthew Prior.

    Suffer not any beloved study to prejudice your mind, so far as to despise all other learning. Isaac Watts.

    No snares to captivate the mind he spreads,
    Nor bribes your eyes to prejudice your heads. Anonym.

    Companies of learned men, be they never so great and reverend, are to yield unto reason; the weight whereof is no whit prejudiced by the simplicity of his person, which doth alledge it. Richard Hooker, b. ii. s. 7.

    Neither must his example, done without the book, prejudice that which is well appointed in the book. John Whitgift.

    I am not to prejudice the cause of my fellow-poets, though I abandon my own defence. Dryden.

    The strength of that law is such, that no particular nation can lawfully prejudice the same by any their several laws and ordinances, more than a man by his private resolutions, the law of the whole commonwealth wherein he liveth. Richard Hooker.

    The Danube rescu’d, and the empire sav’d,
    Say, is the majesty of verse retriev’d?
    And would it prejudice thy softer vein,
    To sing the princes, Louis and Eugene? Matthew Prior.

    To this is added a vinous bitter, warmer in the composition of its ingredients than the watry infusion; and, as gentian and lemon-peel make a bitter of so grateful a flavour, the only care required in this composition was to chuse such an addition as might not prejudice it. London Dispensatory.

ChatGPT

  1. prejudice

    Prejudice refers to preconceived opinion or judgment, usually in a negative manner, about a person or group due to their perceived characteristics, qualities, or attributes, such as their race, religion, gender, nationality, social class, age, disability, or other personal traits. It is often based on stereotypes and lacks concrete evidence, leading to biased attitudes and discriminatory behavior.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Prejudicenoun

    foresight

  2. Prejudicenoun

    an opinion or judgment formed without due examination; prejudgment; a leaning toward one side of a question from other considerations than those belonging to it; an unreasonable predilection for, or objection against, anything; especially, an opinion or leaning adverse to anything, without just grounds, or before sufficient knowledge

  3. Prejudicenoun

    a bias on the part of judge, juror, or witness which interferes with fairness of judgment

  4. Prejudicenoun

    mischief; hurt; damage; injury; detriment

  5. Prejudicenoun

    to cause to have prejudice; to prepossess with opinions formed without due knowledge or examination; to bias the mind of, by hasty and incorrect notions; to give an unreasonable bent to, as to one side or the other of a cause; as, to prejudice a critic or a juryman

  6. Prejudicenoun

    to obstruct or injure by prejudices, or by previous bias of the mind; hence, generally, to hurt; to damage; to injure; to impair; as, to prejudice a good cause

  7. Etymology: [Cf. F. prjudicier. See Prejudice, n.]

Wikidata

  1. Prejudice

    The word prejudice refers to prejudgment: i.e. making a decision before becoming aware of the relevant facts of a case. In recent times, the word has come to be most often used to refer to preconceived, usually unfavorable, judgments toward people or a person because of gender, social class, age, disability, religion, sexuality, race/ethnicity, language, nationality or other personal characteristics. In this case it refers to a positive or negative evaluation of another person based on their group membership. Prejudice can also refer to unfounded beliefs and may include "any unreasonable attitude that is unusually resistant to rational influence." Gordon Allport defined prejudice as a "feeling, favorable or unfavorable, toward a person or thing, prior to, or not based on, actual experience."

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Prejudice

    prej′ū-dis, n. a judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without due examination: a prejudgment: unreasonable prepossession for or against anything: bias: injury or wrong of any kind: disadvantage: mischief.—v.t. to fill with prejudice: to cause a prejudice against: to prepossess: to bias the mind of: to injure or hurt.—adj. Prejudi′cial, causing prejudice or injury: disadvantageous: injurious: mischievous: tending to obstruct.—adv. Prejudi′cially.—n. Prejudi′cialness. [O. Fr.,—L. præjudiciumpræ, before, judicium, judgment.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Prejudice

    A preconceived judgment made without adequate evidence and not easily alterable by presentation of contrary evidence.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. prejudice

    An opinion or decision of mind formed without due examination; prejudgment; a bias or leaning toward one side or the other of a question from other considerations than those belonging to it; an unreasonable predilection or prepossession for or against anything; especially, an opinion or leaning adverse to anything formed without proper grounds, or before suitable knowledge.

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'prejudice' in Nouns Frequency: #2234

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of prejudice in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of prejudice in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of prejudice in a Sentence

  1. Mark Twain:

    Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.

  2. Mit Philips:

    Many people face an obstacle course to obtain ARV drugs - they face stigma within society and even prejudice from health workers, struggle to pay transport or consultation fees, and often find there are low stocks of the drugs.

  3. Carlo Calenda:

    Because otherwise we cannot put an ISDS clause with China or Vietnam, because we are using ISDS clauses all around the world and because we are able to write an ISDS clause without any prejudice for the power of the state.

  4. Daniel Webster:

    Educate your children to self-control, to the habit of holding passion and prejudice and evil tendencies to an upright and reasoning will, and you have done much to abolish misery from their future lives and crimes to society.

  5. Donna Johnson:

    So many people were not informed of what to do in a drought like this. I thought there are people who don't speak English, people that are elderly, they're pregnant, have diabetes, that are ill, everyday people. It doesn't have any prejudice. It affects everybody from the low-income to the higher-income person.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

prejudice#10000#10456#100000

Translations for prejudice

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"prejudice." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Sep. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/prejudice>.

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