What does prejudicially mean?
Prejudicially is a formal adverb meaning “in a prejudicial manner”: with a bias or preconceived opinion that unfairly affects a judgment, decision, or treatment. It is especially common in legal, political, and analytical writing, where writers describe conduct or outcomes as prejudicially influenced rather than merely mistaken or unfortunate. The word carries a strong implication of unfairness or deliberate discrimination, although it does not by itself specify whether the prejudice concerned race, religion, gender, class, or another characteristic. In everyday speech, unfairly is usually more natural, while prejudicially is useful when the presence of bias or prior prejudice is the central point. A sentence such as “The panel was criticized for prejudicially favoring one bidder” shows how the adverb modifies a verb or participle and identifies the manner in which the conduct occurred. Because it is precise and elevated in register, prejudicially is especially effective in formal criticism and legal contexts, where identifying bias is more important than assigning blame.
adverbIn a way that involves prejudice, bias, or an unfair preconceived opinion.
- In a manner marked by prejudice, bias, or an unfair preconceived opinion.
"The committee was accused of prejudicially favoring applicants from one region."
"The report concluded that the selection process had been prejudicially influenced by commercial considerations."
"Her testimony suggested that witnesses had been questioned prejudicially."
Prejudicially comes from a Latin word for a judgment made in advance—a fitting root for language that points toward conclusions before the evidence has been weighed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prejudicially come from?
Prejudicially is an adverb formed from the adjective prejudicial, which belongs to the English word family based on prejudice. That family ultimately derives from Latin praejudicium, a preliminary judgment or decision, formed from prae-, meaning “before,” and judicium, meaning “judgment.” The root’s sense of reaching a decision in advance underlies the modern idea of judging according to a preconceived opinion rather than the available evidence.
Related word forms
How prejudicially is actually used
This is a formal and relatively specialized word, especially common in legal, political, and critical prose. It implies that bias or preconception is influencing an outcome, usually in an unfairly discriminatory way.
Easily confused with prejudicially
Prejudicial is an adjective, whereas prejudicially is the adverb describing how something is done.
Prejudiced describes a person or mind already influenced by prejudice, while prejudicially describes conduct or a manner of judgment.