Word
prejudicial
Phoneticsprej·u·di·cial
US/ˌpɹɛdʒəˈdɪʃəɫ/
UK/pɹˌɛdʒuːdˈɪʃəl/
Definitions
01harmful or damaging
adj. causing harm or damage to someone's rights, interests, or a situation.
adj. tending to cause harm, detriment, or injury to a person's interests or legal standing.
“The new policy was prejudicial to the rights of the workers.”
“The sudden withdrawal of funding proved highly prejudicial to the long-term viability of the research project.”
Formal
Usage
Often followed by the preposition 'to'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02unfairly biased
adj. showing an unfair dislike or preference that is not based on reason.
adj. exhibiting or resulting from preconceived bias rather than objective evidence.
“The judge worried that the news reports would have a prejudicial effect on the jury.”
“The defense argued that the witness's testimony was purely prejudicial and lacked any factual basis relevant to the crime.”
Formal · Technical
Usage
Commonly used in legal contexts regarding evidence or jury opinions.
Teaching tip
In legal English, 'prejudicial' is often contrasted with 'probative' (proving something); a judge may exclude evidence if its prejudicial effect outweighs its probative value.
Etymology
From Middle English prejudiceele, prejudicial, prejudiciall, prejudiciel, prejudiciell, prejudycyall, from Old French prejudicial, prejudiciel and Medieval Latin prēiūdiciālis.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/prejudicial