prejuicio
nounCEFR B2
What does “prejuicio” mean in English?
prejudice — a preconceived negative judgement about a person or group formed without adequate evidence
prejudice — a preconceived negative judgement about a person or group formed without adequate evidence (prejuicios raciales, superar prejuicios)
Example sentences
Los prejuicios no desaparecen por decreto; se superan a través de la convivencia y la educación sostenida.
Prejudices don't disappear by decree; they are overcome through sustained coexistence and education.
Actuar movido por el prejuicio es especialmente grave cuando quien lo hace ejerce una función de autoridad.
Acting out of prejudice is especially serious when the person doing so holds a position of authority.
La investigación muestra que los prejuicios implícitos afectan incluso a quienes se consideran completamente libres de ellos.
Research shows that implicit prejudices affect even those who consider themselves completely free of them.
How to use it
El prejuicio means 'prejudice' — a preconceived judgement about a person or group, usually negative, formed without adequate evidence. Key collocations: tener/superar/reproducir prejuicios; los prejuicios raciales/de género/culturales; libre de prejuicios. The verb form with this noun: actuar movido por el prejuicio (acting out of prejudice). Don't confuse with sesgo (bias — a more cognitive/statistical slant) or estereotipo (stereotype — an oversimplified image). At B2 all three often appear together in the same text.
Common mistake
Prejuicio (prejudice: preconceived negative judgement) vs sesgo (bias: systematic slant in thinking or data) vs estereotipo (stereotype: overgeneralised image). These overlap but are distinct. 'Confirmation bias' = sesgo de confirmación, not *prejuicio de confirmación. In journalistic Spanish, prejuicio racial and sesgo racial can appear in similar contexts but carry different emphases.