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preconceived notion

preconceived notion

12 5.6
An opinion you form before you have enough facts
  • noun
  • /ˌpriːkənˈsiːvd ˈnoʊʃən/
translation icon : idea preconcebida
  • Most researchers enter a WTSW study with preconceived notions about the type of people they will encounter.
  • preconceived notion of gender
  • challenge preconceived notions

But, you know, people have pride or, or, or have a preconceived notion that that's unacceptable.

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Examples

  • Some students confessed that they entered class with a preconceived notion that activities would be limited.

    Academic text (2006)
  • In this way, they started without preconceived notions and let the responses they received guide their discussions.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Everybody already had their preconceived notions as to what what the whole thing was about.

  • I thought if we could just get away to Boston or Washington, just without any preconceived notions...

  • Their previous life experiences and preconceived notions span a wide spectrum.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Because woodcarving is a new craft, buyers have few preconceived notions about what pieces should look like.

    Academic text (2000)
  • As such, insiders pose questions that challenge preconceived notions of their communities and expand scholarly knowledge.

    Academic text (2009)
  • You know, something that's funny is a lot of my American friends that don't travel a lot, they have a ton of preconceived notions about the rest of the world.

  • Moreover, people often have stereotypes or preconceived notions about infidelity that do not mesh with reality.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Some students confessed that they entered class with a preconceived notion that activities would be limited.

Synonyms

assumption
vspreconceived notion
513 3.5

A belief people accept as true without proof

is an early formed opinion rather than a general taken-for-granted belief
speculation
vspreconceived notion
288 4.8

A guess or idea made without enough proof

is an early formed opinion rather than a tentative speculative idea
prejudice
vspreconceived notion
180 4.8

An unfair belief about a person or group formed without good reason

is similar but focuses more on early formation than unfairness
presumption
vspreconceived notion
35 5.8

An idea accepted as true without proof used as a basis for thinking or action

is an early opinion but not necessarily used as a working premise
preconception
vspreconceived notion
19 6.8

An opinion you form before you have enough facts that makes you judge unfairly

is similar but focuses on forming ideas before full evidence
presupposition
vspreconceived notion
5 7.7

A belief people accept as true before they discuss something

is about an early opinion rather than a base assumption for action
preconceived idea
vspreconceived notion
3 4.3

An opinion you make before you know the facts

is the same idea but emphasizes lack of complete evidence
prejudgment
vspreconceived notion
2 7.1

An opinion made before you know all the facts

is the same premature judgment but named as a general idea
preconceived opinion
vspreconceived notion
1 5.3

An opinion you form before you know enough facts

is the same premature judgement framed as a general idea
supposal
vspreconceived notion
1 9.5

An idea you think may be true

is an early opinion that implies prior formation rather than mere supposition
prenotion
vspreconceived notion
9.3

An idea you have before you know or see something

is the broader notion of forming opinions without enough evidence
prepossession
vspreconceived notion
9.9

An opinion you form before you know enough

is similar but framed as a general opinion formed early
parti pris
vspreconceived notion
9.9

A strong opinion made before knowing all the facts

is the same preconceived stance expressed in a different term

Antonyms

35 3.9

Being willing to try or accept new ideas and experiences

How Biased

prejudice
180 4.8
preconceived notion
12 5.6
assumption
513 3.5
opinion
1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

preconceived + notion

The phrase is directly compositional: 'preconceived' means an opinion formed beforehand and 'notion' means an idea, so together they straightforwardly mean an idea formed before having sufficient evidence. This combination follows ordinary adjective + noun semantics and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Preconceived notion comes from the image of an idea being conceived, which means 'formed', and pre, which means 'before', so it means an opinion formed too early or 'without enough evidence'.