👉 In linguistics and sociology, a prejudice is an attitude or belief that is held against someone based on their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, class, disability, etc. It can be positive or negative, depending on the context in which it occurs. A prejudice can be defined as: 1. A personal attitude or belief that is not supported by evidence and is often motivated by a desire for control over others. 2. An exaggerated fear of being discriminated against based on one