prepossession

noun

ˌprē-pə-ˈze-shən
Definition of prepossessionnext
1
as in theory
an attitude, belief, or impression formed in advance of actual experience of something the foreign tourists' prepossessions about life in the U.S. had been formed by many hours of American TV shows

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obsession
something about which one is constantly thinking or concerned tried to cure him of his prepossession with money

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun prepossession contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of prepossession are bias, predilection, and prejudice. While all these words mean "an attitude of mind that predisposes one to favor something," prepossession suggests a fixed conception likely to preclude objective judgment of anything counter to it.

a prepossession against technology

When can bias be used instead of prepossession?

The meanings of bias and prepossession largely overlap; however, bias implies an unreasoned and unfair distortion of judgment in favor of or against a person or thing.

a strong bias toward the plaintiff

Where would predilection be a reasonable alternative to prepossession?

Although the words predilection and prepossession have much in common, predilection implies a strong liking deriving from one's temperament or experience.

a predilection for travel

In what contexts can prejudice take the place of prepossession?

In some situations, the words prejudice and prepossession are roughly equivalent. However, prejudice usually implies an unfavorable prepossession and connotes a feeling rooted in suspicion, fear, or intolerance.

a mindless prejudice against the unfamiliar

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prepossession
  1. theory
  2. obsession
  3. assumption
Noun
  • Follow Di Placido for more meme explainers, television reviews, film theories and deep dives into digital culture.
    — Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
  • And one of my favorite things is looking at other people’s fan theories online.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of theory
Noun
  • David Foster celebrated his youngest with a party based on his son's latest obsession.
    — Justine Fisher, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Fans have an obsession with the way Harmony pronounces Mark’s name throughout the series.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of obsession
Noun
  • People will chew on the Broadway first of an Othello directed and lead-produced by black men—Leon and Brian Anthony Moreland, respectively—and cut their assumptions about that to fit their pre-existing views.
    — Maya Singer, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The idea of receiving free money taps into our natural aversion to missing out and the default assumption that any message appearing to be from the government is legitimate.
    — Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Definition of assumption
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Prepossession.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prepossession. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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