as in assumptions
an attitude, belief, or impression formed in advance of actual experience of something
tried to go into the training sessions without any preconceptions
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Recent Examples of preconceptions
On the slopes, long-standing ethnic and religious divides are briefly set aside, with rivals cheering one another on despite their fraught history and preconceptions.
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Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Despite McGuire acquiescing to reader’s preconceptions of the witch, the mysterious flying broom was not a central item in Elphaba’s initial rejection of the Wizard’s autocratic reign.
—Time, 21 Nov. 2025
Like the partisan preconceptions surrounding Benioff and his New York Times interview, the faulty assumptions about Salesforce’s future performance are missing the bigger picture.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
In other words, anyone open-minded enough to set aside popular preconceptions about the genre really can find their perfect match.
—Karen Ostergren, The Atlantic, 13 Oct. 2025
Also not fitting the West’s preconceptions was the fact that most Soviet dissidents didn’t reject socialism.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Oct. 2025
And in 2008, the physicist Hossein Partovi of California State University identified a particularly dramatic implication of the way quantum entanglement can undermine preconceptions derived from classical thermodynamics.
—Quanta Magazine, 1 Oct. 2025
Rest & Relaxation follows Amandeep (Mani), who in seeking solace on the brink of a life-changing decision, retreats to a secluded bed and breakfast where the eclectic guests challenge her preconceptions of family.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2025
But at least some of that conflict comes from false assumptions, and some of it comes from turning their preconceptions into self-fulfilling prophecies.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preconceptions
Noun
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As the video spread, viewers flooded the comments with advice, concern and assumptions about her daily life.—
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After collaborating with Sotheby’s on a 2024 installation of Impressionism, for which they were tasked with subverting assumptions of the movement, the duo are now conceiving the company’s new restaurant, Marcel, named after the architect.—
Noun
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Those are, indeed, pat, credible theories and predictions.—
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But now, in the planet’s capital city of Apperax, a murder is committed with no suspects, forensics or theories.—
Cite this Entry
“Preconceptions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preconceptions. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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