What Is Meant by the Word Prejudice
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prejudice
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.
unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, especially of a hostile nature, regarding an ethnic, racial, social, or religious group.
such attitudes considered collectively: The war against prejudice is never-ending.
damage or injury; detriment: a law that operated to the prejudice of the majority.
verb (used with object), prej·u·diced, prej·u·dic·ing.
to affect with a prejudice, either favorable or unfavorable: His honesty and sincerity prejudiced us in his favor.
VIDEO FOR PREJUDICE
What Are Other Words Related To "Prejudice"?
Most people experience "prejudice" during their lifetime. But what are some other words that are related to "prejudice" that you may also experienced?
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Idioms about prejudice
without prejudice, Law. without dismissing, damaging, or otherwise affecting a legal interest or demand.
Origin of prejudice
1250–1300; Middle English <Old French <Latin praejūdicium prejudgment, originally preliminary or previous judicial inquiry, equivalent to prae-pre- + jūdicium legal proceedings, judging (jūdic-, stem of jūdexjudge + -ium-ium)
synonym study for prejudice
OTHER WORDS FROM prejudice
prej·u·diced·ly, adverb prej·u·dice·less, adjective non·prej·u·diced, adjective qua·si-prej·u·diced, adjective
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH prejudice
prejudiced , prejudicial
Words nearby prejudice
preinform, preinvasive, pre-Islamic, prejudge, prejudging, prejudice, prejudiced, prejudicial, pre-K, prelacy, prelapsarian
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
MORE ABOUT PREJUDICE
What doesprejudice 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.
Where doesprejudice come from?
The first records of the word prejudice come from the second half of the 1200s. It comes from the Latin praejūdicium, a term that means "prejudgement" and was originally used in the context of law. The prefix pre- means "before," and the second part of the word derives from the Latin jūdex, which means "judge" and is the basis of many law-related words, such as judicial.
When you hold a prejudice against someone, you prejudge them—you make up your mind about what they're like before you even know them. Some people who hold a prejudice against a group have never even met a member of that group. In this way, prejudice is often a failure to treat people as individuals. Though prejudice is often a personal belief, the prevalence of such beliefs can and does form the basis of systemic oppression.
Prejudice is often the reason that certain groups are marginalized (treated as inferior and less important and pushed to the edges of society) and discriminated against. Different forms of prejudice often have specific names, such racism, colorism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and ageism.
Despite its association with such forms of intolerance, the word prejudice is also commonly used in a more general way, as in I didn't expect the movie to be that good—I guess I just have a prejudice against romantic comedies. A notable use of the word prejudice in literature is in the title of the Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice.
Did you know ... ?
How isprejudice used in real life?
Prejudice is most often used in a serious way to refer to hatred of certain types of people.
I'm seeing that we need to have a talk about racism.
Racism is not just prejudice.
Racism = Racial prejudice + social and institutional power.
🧵
— Dr. Juliette McClendon (@DrJulietteM) July 7, 2020
Thank you, @jemelehill, for writing this poignant and important piece about how experiencing one type of prejudice doesn't automatically sensitize people to other forms of bigotry.https://t.co/DWmlgqAWxE
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) July 13, 2020
"Trans people were promised change, but instead they face deepening prejudice"https://t.co/xi1EGux9Wg
— Trans Actual (@TransActualUK) July 1, 2020
Try usingprejudice!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym for prejudice?
A. bigotry
B. intolerance
C. bias
D. acceptance
How to use prejudice in a sentence
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They are flesh-and-blood evidence of the ways in which our prejudices and stereotypes hinder the economic stability of the hardest workers and professional advancement of some of this country's most talented residents.
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The duke, the lady and the baby-face queen — these characters' struggles are not framed by slavery or prejudice.
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As Hinds and other critics pointed out, the show also explicitly references slavery — so the "fantasy" of this 1813 is still anchored in the reality of systemic prejudice.
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For once, death, and the death in life of prejudice, could claim nothing but the skeleton of an old man.
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Quantum mechanics needs no particular interpretation if it is formulated without the preexisting prejudice that nature should exhibit cause-and-effect determinism.
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I do, however, intend it to sound mean about the reactionary, prejudice-infested place she comes from.
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A few days ago, he criticized his home state of Alabama for its entrenched prejudice.
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But the exemption was also born of prejudice and discrimination.
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So specious, in fact, that they are increasingly seen to be rationales to cover outdated forms of prejudice.
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If The Biggest Loser could correct this misconception, it would do a lot to reduce anti-obesity prejudice.
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Finally, let me ask the general reader to put aside all prejudice, and give both sides a fair hearing.
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Thou fell spirit of pride, prejudice, ignorance, and mauvaise honte!
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It is beyond the comprehension of any man not blinded by superstition, not warped by prejudice and old-time convention.
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The last vestige of her prejudice against Indians had melted and gone, in the presence of their simple-hearted friendliness.
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With Monsieur de Lussigny," he interposed, "it is a matter of prejudice, not of principle.
British Dictionary definitions for prejudice
noun
an opinion formed beforehand, esp an unfavourable one based on inadequate facts
the act or condition of holding such opinions
intolerance of or dislike for people of a specific race, religion, etc
disadvantage or injury resulting from prejudice
to the prejudice of to the detriment of
without prejudice law without dismissing or detracting from an existing right or claim
verb (tr)
to cause to be prejudiced
to disadvantage or injure by prejudice
Word Origin for prejudice
C13: from Old French préjudice, from Latin praejūdicium a preceding judgment, disadvantage, from prae before + jūdicium trial, sentence, from jūdex a judge
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for prejudice
A hostile opinion about some person or class of persons. Prejudice is socially learned and is usually grounded in misconception, misunderstanding, and inflexible generalizations. In particular, African-Americans have been victims of prejudice on a variety of social, economic, and political levels. (See civil rights movement and segregation.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
What Is Meant by the Word Prejudice
Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/prejudice