Definition

1. Verb:
   • To form an idea or opinion about something before having enough information or experience: To conceive or imagine something in advance, often leading to a bias or fixed notion.
   • To form a concept or judgment beforehand: To develop a belief or expectation about a situation, person, or thing prior to direct encounter or evidence.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • It's important not to preconceive the outcome of the experiment. (One should not form a fixed idea about the results before the data is collected.)
  • She tried to approach the new culture without preconceiving what it would be like. (She attempted to experience the culture without forming prior judgments.)
  • The jury was instructed not to preconceive the defendant's guilt. (The jury was told not to form an opinion about guilt before hearing the evidence.)

Advanced Usage

• "Preconceived notion/idea/opinion": A belief or judgment formed beforehand, often without adequate evidence.
  • He went into the meeting with a preconceived notion that it would be unproductive. (He entered the meeting already believing it would not yield results.)
• Used in passive voice: Often appears as "be preconceived" to describe an idea that was formed in advance.
  • The plan was not preconceived; it evolved through discussion. (The plan was not decided beforehand; it developed naturally.)

Variants and Related Words

• Preconception (n): An idea or opinion formed before having enough information; a prejudice.
  • We should challenge our own preconceptions.
• Preconceived (adj): (Of an idea, opinion, etc.) formed before having the evidence for its truth or usefulness.
  • She had a preconceived image of life in a big city.

Synonyms

• Prejudge: To judge before hearing or considering all the facts.
• Presume: To suppose that something is the case based on probability.
• Anticipate: To regard as probable; expect or predict.

Related Phrases

• To have a preconceived idea about something: To already have a fixed belief about something before encountering it.
  • It's hard to learn when you have a preconceived idea about the subject.
• Without preconception: In a manner free from prior assumptions or biases.
  • The researcher observed the phenomenon without preconception.

Verb

1. conceive beforehand
   • a preconceived notion