Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Preconceived for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Preconceived" — adjective, pronounced /ˌpriːkənˈsiːvd/, with the stress on "ceived".
Narrator: Preconceived means formed before you have enough knowledge or experience.
Narrator: In plain English, a preconceived idea is decided in advance.
Narrator: It comes from pre, before, and conceive, to form an idea, from the Latin concipere.
Narrator: The common collocation is "preconceived ideas" or "preconceived notions", which describe unfair assumptions.
Narrator: It differs from "informed", because informed opinions follow evidence, while preconceived ones come before it.
Narrator: It is almost always used before a noun, such as preconceived views.
Narrator: Psychology, journalism, hiring and travel writing all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: preconceived ideas arrive before the facts do.
Speaker A: Why did my teacher say I had preconceived ideas about poetry?
Speaker B: Because you decided you hated it before reading any! PRECONCEIVED means conceived beforehand.
Speaker A: So it is a gentle criticism?
Speaker B: Yes, it asks you to keep an open mind.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Leave your preconceived notions at the door", an invitation to openness. "The trip challenged my preconceived ideas", describing change. "Interviewers must avoid preconceived views", a hiring rule.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Spell it "-ceived", with "e" before "i", and use it before a noun rather than after "is".
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Biased is its unfair cousin, prejudged is its twin, and assumed is the plain alternative, but preconceived keeps its thoughtful charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "preconceived" in AI prompts — useful for fair hiring tools and research design.
Speaker A: How would hiring tools use it?
Speaker B: Ask the model to check for bias.
Prompt: Review this job advert and flag any wording that might reflect preconceived ideas about age or gender.
Speaker A: And research design?
Speaker B: Neutral questions matter.
Prompt: Rewrite these survey questions so they do not lead respondents towards the researcher's preconceived conclusions.
Speaker A: Could it help reflection?
Speaker B: Yes, in learning journals.
Prompt: Ask me five questions that help me notice my preconceived notions before I start this design project.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Travel content.
Prompt: Write a short blog introduction about visiting Glasgow that playfully challenges common preconceived ideas about the city.
Preconceived — meaning in Arabic & definition More P courses GL Dictionary