prepossess

/,pri:pə'zes/

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Thân thiện

The candidate's prepossessing smile immediately put the interview panel at ease.

Definition

Verb:
- To influence someone's opinion or feelings in advance: To cause someone to form a favorable or unfavorable impression before full consideration or experience.
- To preoccupy or possess beforehand: To occupy or fill the mind with a particular idea or feeling to the exclusion of others.
- To make a positive impression beforehand: To impress someone favorably from the outset, often through appearance or demeanor.

Usage

The verb "prepossess" is used to describe the act of shaping an opinion or occupying the mind prior to a main event or full judgment. It is often used in formal or literary contexts.
It can be used with an object (e.g., to prepossess someone) and is often found in passive constructions (e.g., to be prepossessed by/with something).

Examples

To influence opinion in advance:
- His dignified manner served to prepossess the committee in his favor.
- She didn't want the glowing review to prepossess her judgment before seeing the film herself.
To preoccupy or possess the mind:
- The fear of failure prepossessed him, making it hard to focus on the task.
- He was prepossessed with the idea that he was being watched.
To make a positive initial impression:
- Her prepossessing smile immediately put the guests at ease. (Note: This example uses the related adjective form "prepossessing" for clarity of meaning).

Advanced Usage

"To be prepossessed by/with an idea": To be completely occupied or dominated by a particular thought or belief.
- The entire team was prepossessed with the notion of winning the championship.
"To prepossess someone against something": To cause someone to have an unfavorable bias beforehand.
- The negative rumors prepossessed the public against the new policy.

Variants and Related Words

Prepossessing (Adjective): Attractive, appealing, or creating a favorable impression.
- He had a prepossessing appearance that made him very approachable.
Prepossession (Noun): A preconceived opinion or bias, often a favorable one; or the state of being preoccupied.
- She had a prepossession in favor of classical architecture.

Synonyms

Prejudice (as a verb): To influence, usually unfairly, before full knowledge.
Bias: To cause to feel or show inclination or prejudice.
Preoccupy: To dominate or engross the mind of someone to the exclusion of other thoughts.
Impress: To affect deeply or strongly in mind or feelings.

Antonyms

Related Phrases and Constructions

"To have a prepossession toward/against": To hold a preconceived favorable or unfavorable feeling about someone or something.
- The manager had a prepossession toward candidates from his alma mater.

The candidate's prepossessing smile immediately put the interview panel at ease.

Verb

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