Prejudicial To: Standard Pattern
Prejudicial To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Use the formal construction “prejudicial to” when something is harmful or unfairly damaging to a person, interest, or outcome.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| something is harmful or unfairly damaging to a person, interest, or outcome | prejudicial to + target | Use the formal documented complement. |
| no target stated | prejudicial | A complement is not obligatory when context supplies the target. |
| different word needed | prejudice or another term | Do not substitute the adjective mechanically for related nouns/verbs. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the person, interest, or outcome that is harmed or unfairly affected?
If yes: Use “prejudicial to” before that target.
If no: Use the form required by the different sentence structure.
Examples
The omission could be prejudicial to the applicant.
“To” introduces the person potentially harmed.
The delay was prejudicial to the project.
The affected interest follows “prejudicial to.”
The panel excluded material it considered prejudicial.
The adjective can appear without an expressed “to” complement when the target is understood.
Further guidance
Construction
Use the formal construction “prejudicial to” when something is harmful or unfairly damaging to a person, interest, or outcome.
Style Boundary
The guidance is bounded to the documented formal complement and does not substitute this adjective for every use of “prejudice.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- PREJUDICIAL — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press & Assessment · Cambridge dictionary evidence for prejudicial to as a documented formal construction.