prejudicial

adjective

prej·​u·​di·​cial ˌpre-jə-ˈdi-shəl How to pronounce prejudicial (audio)
Synonyms of prejudicialnext
1
: tending to injure or impair : detrimental
a transfer prejudicial to other creditors
2
: leading to premature judgment or unwarranted opinion
prejudicial evidence
prejudicially
ˌpre-jə-ˈdi-sh(ə-)lē How to pronounce prejudicial (audio)
adverb
prejudicialness
ˌpre-jə-ˈdi-shəl-nəs How to pronounce prejudicial (audio)
noun

Synonyms of prejudicial

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Examples of prejudicial in a Sentence

The judge ruled that the prejudicial effect of the evidence outweighed its value. pretrial publicity that may be extremely prejudicial to a defendant's right to a fair trial
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned the murder convictions this May and ordered a retrial, saying Colleton County’s then-clerk tainted the first trial with what the defense said was prejudicial comments to the jury. — Devon M. Sayers, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026 So, coming off recent and possibly prejudicial endorsements from Ari Emanuel and Chris Wallace — both of whom do big-money business with Paramount — plus a mixed Q2 earnings report Tuesday, what is the younger Ellison to do? — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026 Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, had previously asked the judge to limit the number of first responders to eliminate the risk of unfairly prejudicial repetitive testimony to his client. — Kristina Rex, CBS News, 30 July 2026 Sooknanan also became the subject of a bar complaint filed last week by the watchdog group Democracy Restored, which accused the judge of dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice during her tenure as a senior DOJ official. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for prejudicial

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prejudicial was in the 15th century

Rhymes for prejudicial

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Browse Nearby Words

prejudiciable
prejudicial
prejudiciary
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prejudicial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prejudicial. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

prejudicial

adjective
prej·​u·​di·​cial ˌprej-ə-ˈdish-əl How to pronounce prejudicial (audio)
: tending to cause damage : detrimental

Legal Definition

prejudicial

adjective
prej·​u·​di·​cial ˌpre-jə-ˈdi-shəl How to pronounce prejudicial (audio)
: having the effect of prejudice: as
a
: tending to injure or impair rights
such a transfer would be prejudicial to other creditors
b
: leading to a decision or judgment on an improper basis
the evidence was excluded because it was more prejudicial than probative

More from Merriam-Webster on prejudicial

Nglish: Translation of prejudicial for Spanish Speakers

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