prejudice
prejudice
Pronunciation
The word prejudice is a multi-faceted term in English, rooted in the Latin praejudicium, meaning "pre-judgment." Below is the linguistic and grammatical breakdown you requested.
Phonetic Breakdown
IPA Spelling: /ˈprɛdʒ.ə.dɪs/
First Syllable (/ˈprɛdʒ/): Begins with the consonant cluster p and r, followed by the short "e" vowel (as in get), and ends with the soft "j" affricate sound.
Second Syllable (/.ə/): A very short, unstressed "schwa" sound, similar to the "a" in sofa.
Third Syllable (/.dɪs/): Starts with the hard d sound, followed by a short "i" (as in sit), and ends with a soft s sound.
Word Form Variations
Noun: Prejudice (singular), Prejudices (plural)
Verb: Prejudice (present), Prejudiced (past/past participle), Prejudicing (present participle)
Adjective: Prejudiced (biased), Prejudicial (harmful or leading to bias)
Adverb: Prejudicially
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition: A preconceived opinion or feeling formed without adequate reason, knowledge, or experience; often an irrational hostility directed toward a specific race, religion, or group. In a legal context, it can also refer to injury or harm resulting from some judgment or action.
Synonyms: Bias, bigotry, intolerance, preconception, detriment.
Antonyms: Fairness, impartiality, tolerance, justice, objectivity.
Verb
Definition: To influence someone’s opinion or mind in a way that creates a bias; or, to act in a way that results in disadvantage or legal harm to a person or a case.
Synonyms: Influence, sway, slant, damage, undermine.
Antonyms: Enlighten, clarify, aid, benefit, support.
Adjective
Definition (Prejudiced): Characterized by or showing a strong bias or an unfavorable preconceived opinion. Definition (Prejudicial): Likely to cause harm or create a disadvantage, particularly regarding a person's legal rights or the fairness of a trial.
Synonyms: Biased, partisan, discriminatory, damaging, deleterious.
Antonyms: Unbiased, neutral, equitable, beneficial, harmless.
Adverb
Definition (Prejudicially): To act or decide in a manner that creates an unfair bias or results in harm to a party’s interests.
Synonyms: Unfairly, harmfully, detrimentally, bigotedly.
Antonyms: Fairly, objectively, harmlessly, equitably.
Examples of Use
The term prejudice appears frequently across literature, legal documentation, and modern media, often used to describe either social bias or legal disadvantage.
Literature and Classic Works
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters." (Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice).
"I’m not a bigot. You know the difference between a prejudice and a conviction? You can begin to explain a conviction without getting angry." (Philip Roth, American Pastoral).
Journalism and Online Publications
Reporting on social trends often highlights how systemic prejudice can influence hiring practices even when individuals claim to be objective (The New York Times, June 2021).
Articles discussing the impact of artificial intelligence frequently warn that "algorithmic prejudice" can unintentionally bake human biases into automated decision-making software (Wired, October 2023).
Legal and Academic Discourse
In many court cases, a judge may dismiss a case "with prejudice," which serves as a final ruling that prevents the plaintiff from ever filing a lawsuit on the same grounds again.
"The admission of this evidence would be unduly prejudicial to the defendant, as its inflammatory nature outweighs its actual relevance to the facts of the crime." (Common legal phrasing used in courtroom transcripts).
Entertainment and Popular Culture
In the film To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch observes that "crying sub-standard" or relying on racial prejudices to win a case is a violation of the fundamental integrity of the court system.
Documentaries regarding historical civil rights movements often use the term to describe the "unseen prejudice" that shaped urban planning and housing developments in the mid-20th century.
General Public Discourse
Social Media: Users often engage in "call-out culture" by identifying instances of "unconscious prejudice" in advertising or public statements made by influencers.
Workplace Training: Human Resources departments frequently hold seminars on "implicit prejudice" to help employees recognize internal biases they may not be aware of during team interactions.
10 Quotes Using Prejudice
"What a sad era when it is easier to smash an atom than a prejudice." (Albert Einstein)
"The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice." (Mark Twain)
"Prejudice is a great time saver; you can form opinions without having to get the facts." (E. B. White)
"Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible." (Maya Angelou)
"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." (Albert Einstein)
"It is never too late to give up our prejudices." (Henry David Thoreau)
"Prejudice is the child of ignorance." (William Hazlitt)
"Reasoning against prejudice is like fighting against a shadow; it exhausts the reasoner, without visibly affecting the prejudice." (Charles Mildmay)
"A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices." (Edward R. Murrow)
"Prejudice is a raft onto which the shipwrecked mind clambers and paddles to safety." (Ben Hecht)
Etymology
The etymology of prejudice is quite literal once you strip away its modern social connotations. It is essentially a "judgment made before the facts are in."
Latin Roots
The word originates from the Latin noun praejudicium. This is a compound of two distinct parts:
Prae-: A prefix meaning "before."
Judicium: A noun meaning "judgment" or "sentence" (derived from judex, meaning "judge").
In the Roman legal system, a praejudicium was a preliminary examination or a prior legal precedent. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing; it was simply a judgment that had already been established or a trial held before the main trial to determine certain facts.
Evolution of Meaning
As the word moved from Latin into Old French (prejudice) and eventually into English, its meaning shifted from a neutral legal procedure to a more biased concept:
Early Middle English (c. 1300s): The word first entered English primarily as a legal term. At this time, it meant "damage" or "detriment" caused by a judgment. If a ruling caused you "prejudice," it meant it harmed your rights or interests.
14th to 15th Century: The meaning expanded to describe a "preconceived opinion." People began using it to describe an opinion formed prematurely, without waiting for the actual truth to be revealed.
Modern Era: Over the last few centuries, the word took on its most common current meaning: an irrational, often hostile bias against specific groups of people.
First Known Use
The first recorded uses of the word in English date back to the late 13th and early 14th centuries. In these earliest appearances, it was almost exclusively used in the sense of "injury" or "harm" resulting from a legal decision. It wasn’t until the mid-14th century that the sense of "blind bias" or "prejudgment" became a common part of the English vernacular.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Prejudice
Here is a list of phrases and idioms involving prejudice, along with common expressions using its synonyms to achieve a similar meaning.
Phrases Using "Prejudice"
Dismissed with prejudice: A legal term meaning a case is dismissed permanently and cannot be brought back to court.
Dismissed without prejudice: A legal term meaning a case is dismissed, but the plaintiff retains the right to file the suit again.
Without prejudice to: A formal phrase used to say that an action or agreement does not affect or waive existing rights or claims.
Blind prejudice: An irrational bias held despite clear evidence to the contrary.
To the prejudice of: In a way that causes harm, injury, or disadvantage to a person or their interests.
Idioms and Phrases Using Synonyms
To have a chip on one's shoulder: To have a persistent grievance or a biased, defensive attitude toward others.
To color one's judgment: To allow personal bias or prejudice to influence an opinion or decision.
To be narrow-minded: A common expression for having a fixed prejudice and being unwilling to consider other views.
Level the playing field: An idiom used to describe removing prejudice or unfair advantages to ensure equality.
Stack the deck: To arrange a situation in a biased or prejudiced way to ensure a specific outcome.
Preconceived notions: A common phrase for ideas formed before having actual experience or evidence.
Jaundiced eye: To look at something with a "jaundiced eye" means to view it with prejudice, cynicism, or suspicion.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of prejudice from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
