PREJUDICE Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

prejudice 1 of 2

noun

ˈpre-jə-dəs

Definition of prejudice next

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

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

The case was to be dropped without prejudice until the mayoral election later this year, pending a review by the U.S. attorney's office. —

Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2025 On the third day of the proceedings, the judge dismissed the case with prejudice after Alec’s lawyers argued that the prosecution withheld evidence relevant to the case. —

Eric Andersson, People.com, 12 Feb. 2025

Verb

Neither Lively nor Baldoni were in the New York court for the pre-trial conference, where Judge Lewis Liman advised their attorneys to avoid making statements in public that could prejudice the proceedings. —

Sandra Gonzalez, CNN, 3 Feb. 2025 But Lively’s team is looking to enforce the rule against making public statements that have a substantial likelihood of prejudicing the jury. —

Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for prejudice

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prejudice

Noun

Vivian reports on how Trump talked about Christians as a group being persecuted and how if elected again would even launch an anti-Christian bias task force.

— Duane W. Gang, The Tennessean, 10 Feb. 2025
Gomez has been more vocal about the threat to journalism posed by the FCC’s aggressive stance on subjective questions of media bias.

— Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 8 Feb. 2025