# prejudicial

/ˌpɹɛdʒəˈdɪʃəɫ/ (US) · /pɹˌɛdʒuːdˈɪʃəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/prejudicial
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. harmful or damaging

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

causing harm or damage to someone's rights, interests, or a situation.

For teachers: 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.

Usage: Often followed by the preposition 'to'.

### 2. unfairly biased

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal · Technical

showing an unfair dislike or preference that is not based on reason.

For teachers: 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.

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.

## Examples

- The judge ruled that the evidence was prejudicial and ordered it to be excluded.
- The defense attorney argued that the victim's prior criminal record was prejudicial and should not be presented to the jury.
- While the prosecution believed the video footage was essential to their case, the defense successfully argued that its graphic nature was more prejudicial than probative, potentially swaying the jury's emotions against the defendant.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.