to prepossess
1
9.9
- verb
- /ˌpriːpəˈzɛs/
:
preocupar
- His mind began to go back to the days when he went to a law school situated on the upper floors of an office building abutting a run-down square in downtown Boston, then hardly a prepossessing setting for a law school, what with its collection of seedy saloons and burlesque houses.
Examples
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The charming decor and friendly staff prepossess visitors the moment they enter the café.
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The candidate's charisma and confidence prepossess the interviewers during the job interview.
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You are hardly what I would call prepossessing to the eye.
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Because you were obsessed with the physically prepossessing waitresses running around.
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Like most clubs of its type, Under the Underground's exterior is far from prepossessing.
Fiction book (1992) -
He didn't look too prepossessing.
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Everything very much in proportion, firm but not overly, which I've always found weird and prepossessing.
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These premises are hardly prepossessing, and yet the Beadle tells me you're the most accomplished of all the barbers in the city.
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Her father is a miserable, fat old man; her brother's face is none too prepossessing either; and there she is in the women's quarters, far at the back, where you expect nothing unusual: proud, spirited, and giving a touch of distinction to everything she does.
Fiction book (2001) -
She drops to her knees in the still-damp grass of the lawn and mutters, "Not very prepossessing," then leans forward over the edge of the hole, looking to see what's inside.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
33
6.1
To make someone form an unfair opinion before they know enough
1
7.7
To try to persuade someone by giving false praise
Antonyms
How Influenced
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word prepossess is made of pre- meaning 'before' and possess meaning 'to have' or 'to hold', as in possession. So, to prepossess someone is to 'hold' their mind or feelings before they meet you, often creating a favorable opinion or bias.