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 adverb
prejudicialness noun

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.
The appeals court also found that testimony presented to the grand jury through the ISP investigator subjected Kilkelly to a prejudicial denial of due process, and that dismissal of the original charges by Judge Fix was proper. Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026 Second, Murdaugh’s attorneys have argued in legal briefs already submitted in the appeal that the wide-ranging testimony about and evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes was prejudicial and should have been limited or completely excluded from his 2023 murder trial. Dianne Gallagher, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026 Yet administration officials have so clearly declared their position with lies and prejudicial statements that any federal investigation would be suspect from the start—another example of how Trump’s politicization of the Justice Department has undermined its ability to do its job. David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026 Defense lawyers have criticized the move as prejudicial. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prejudicial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prejudicial. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster