preconceived idea
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A belief, opinion, or judgment formed before one has sufficient information or experience on a subject. It is an idea held in advance of direct knowledge or evidence, often influencing how new information is perceived.
Usage
A "preconceived idea" is a fixed notion that can prevent objective judgment. It is typically used to describe an assumption that may be incorrect or biased. - It often functions as the object of verbs like have, form, challenge, or confirm. - It is commonly modified by adjectives like strong, false, or common.
Examples
- The manager realized her interview questions were based on a preconceived idea about the candidate's background.
- It's important for scientists to avoid preconceived ideas that could influence their experiments.
- He approached the new culture with no preconceived ideas, eager to learn everything firsthand.
Advanced Usage
- "To have a preconceived idea (about/of)": To already possess a fixed belief about something before encountering it.
- Many tourists have a preconceived idea of what the country will be like based on movies.
- "To go beyond one's preconceived ideas": To move past one's initial biases to gain a more accurate understanding.
- Living abroad helped her go beyond her preconceived ideas about family structures.
Variants and Related Words
- Preconception (n): A synonym, often used interchangeably with "preconceived idea." It can also refer more broadly to any preconceived notion.
- The study aimed to test common preconceptions about learning styles.
- Preconceived notion (n): Another common synonym phrase.
- She had a preconceived notion that the meeting would be unproductive.
Synonyms
- Bias: An inclination or prejudice for or against something, often considered less neutral than a preconceived idea.
- Presupposition: Something assumed beforehand as the basis of an argument or theory.
- Assumption: Something accepted as true without proof.
Related Phrases
- Prejudge (v): To form a judgment or opinion about beforehand, typically without adequate evidence. This is the action related to having a preconceived idea.
- It is unfair to prejudge the results before seeing the data.
- A priori (adj/adv): A Latin term used in philosophy and logic to describe knowledge or reasoning that is independent of experience, similar in concept to a preconceived idea formed deductively.
Noun
- an opinion formed beforehand without adequate evidence
- he did not even try to confirm his preconceptions