n.
Pronunciation: ˌ pre-d ə - ' lek-sh ə n, ˌ pr ē -
Function: noun
Etymology: French prédilection, from Medieval Latin praediligere to love more, prefer, from Latin prae- + diligere to love ― more at DILIGENT
Date: 1742
: an established preference for something
synonyms PREDILECTION , PREPOSSESSION , PREJUDICE , BIAS mean an attitude of mind that predisposes one to favor something. PREDILECTION implies a strong liking deriving from one's temperament or experience <a predilection for travel>. PREPOSSESSION suggests a fixed conception likely to preclude objective judgment of anything counter to it <a prepossession against technology>. PREJUDICE usually implies an unfavorable prepossession and connotes a feeling rooted in suspicion, fear, or intolerance <a mindless prejudice against the unfamiliar>. BIAS implies an unreasoned and unfair distortion of judgment in favor of or against a person or thing <a strong bias toward the plaintiff>.