What does "preconception" mean?

An opinion formed before obtaining adequate evidence, especially as the result of bias or prejudice.

What is a synonym for "preconception"?

Common synonyms include: bias, assumption, bent, bias, delusion, favoritism.

Pronounced //ˌpɹiːkənˈsɛpʃən//.

//ˌpɹiːkənˈsɛpʃən// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Noun

1
An opinion formed before obtaining adequate evidence, especially as the result of bias or prejudice.
"With many of the more general preconceptions of socialist thought the connection of their more practical proposals is by no means at once obvious, and in consequence many men who believe themselves to be determined opponents of that system of thought become in fact effective spreaders of its ideas."
2
an opinion formed beforehand without adequate evidence wordnet
3
A prejudice that prevents rational consideration of an issue.
4
a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation wordnet

Adjective

"This will challenge any preconception you may have of modern art."

From pre- + conception.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.