prejudice means an adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge of the facts. It carries an Arena rating of 1842, earned across 35 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, prejudice ranks #52 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #168 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,560 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,316 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words.
prejudice is pronounced /ˈpɹɛd͡ʒədɪs/.
Why “prejudice” is a great word
A preconceived opinion, not based on reason or experience, exhibiting irrational hostility or favoritism. From Middle English prejudice, from Old French prejudice, from Latin praeiūdicium ("previous judgment or damage"), from prae- ("before") + iūdicium ("judgment"), first attested in English c. 1300. Unlike bias, a leaning often unconscious, or impartiality, its direct antonym, prejudice is a settled, corrosive creed. It is the slammed door before the knock, the verdict sealed before the testimony, the map drawn before the voyage—a closed system against the unsettling tide of evidence.
Etymology
From Middle English prejudice, from Old French prejudice, derived from Latin praeiūdicium (“previous judgment or damage”), from prae- (“before”) + iūdicium (“judgment”).
noun
- An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge of the facts.
- A preconception, any preconceived opinion or feeling, whether positive or negative.e.g.“Morality is but a prejudice.”
- An irrational hostile attitude, fear or hatred towards a particular group, race or religion.e.g.“I am free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally.”
- Knowledge formed in advance; foresight, presaging.e.g.“[…] the first did in the forepart sit, / That nought mote hinder his quicke preiudize: / He had a sharpe foresight, and working wit […]” — 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- Mischief; hurt; damage; injury; detriment.e.g.“England and France might, through their amity, / Breed him some prejudice.” — 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), Lon
verb
- To have a negative impact on (someone's position, chances etc.).
- To cause prejudice in; to bias the mind of.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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