prejudice 1 of 2

noun

ˈpre-jə-dəs How to pronounce prejudice (audio)
Definition of prejudicenext
1
as in bias
an attitude that always favors one way of feeling or acting especially without considering any other possibilities her lifelong prejudice against doing "dirty" jobs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in racism
hatred of or discrimination against a person or persons based on their race fought racial prejudice through the use of the court system

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

prejudice

2 of 2

verb

as in to bias
to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge all the bad stories I had heard about the incoming CEO prejudiced me against him even before the first meeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun prejudice contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of prejudice are bias, predilection, and prepossession. While all these words mean "an attitude of mind that predisposes one to favor something," prejudice usually implies an unfavorable prepossession and connotes a feeling rooted in suspicion, fear, or intolerance.

a mindless prejudice against the unfamiliar

When would bias be a good substitute for prejudice?

The synonyms bias and prejudice are sometimes interchangeable, but bias implies an unreasoned and unfair distortion of judgment in favor of or against a person or thing.

a strong bias toward the plaintiff

When is predilection a more appropriate choice than prejudice?

The words predilection and prejudice are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, predilection implies a strong liking deriving from one's temperament or experience.

a predilection for travel

In what contexts can prepossession take the place of prejudice?

The meanings of prepossession and prejudice largely overlap; however, prepossession suggests a fixed conception likely to preclude objective judgment of anything counter to it.

a prepossession against technology

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prejudice
Noun
Her initial lawsuit, filed in May 2024, was dismissed with prejudice in September 2025. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2026 From enduring prejudice at West Point to commanding the Tuskegee Airmen and achieving 4-star general status, his life exemplified resilience. — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Verb
While trying to clarify the results of the report to reporters, Ballard also referenced the strength of the state’s case against Tyler Robinson – statements the judge on Friday found risked prejudicing the jury pool. — Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 26 June 2026 The trial court risked prejudicing the jury by improperly admitting evidence about Mead Johnson’s finances, including its revenues, profits, and executive compensation, the appeals court said. — David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for prejudice
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prejudice
  1. bias
  2. segregation
  3. turn
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Grok showed the strongest biases, highly favoring Catholics and Protestants while showing an aversion for Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baha’i and Hindus.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • In fact, Smith has long argued that the NFL has overlooked Black candidates at those positions because of racial bias.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of bias
Noun
  • In 1954, the Supreme Court overturned its 1896 decision that upheld racial segregation.
    — Tom Campbell, Oc Register, 4 July 2026
  • Or even just 62 years to the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed segregation.
    — Susan Bence, NPR, 4 July 2026
Definition of segregation
Verb
  • Some critics on social media counter that the gatherings risk turning spirituality into spectacle, performance and commodity all at once.
    — Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • The patriotic ball drop is scheduled to air at midnight ET on CNN as July 3 turns into July 4 in Times Square.
    — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of turn

Browse Nearby Words

prejudgments
prejudice
prejudiced
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prejudice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prejudice. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on prejudice

Nglish: Translation of prejudice for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about prejudice

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All