WordNet
preconceived idea
n. an opinion formed beforehand without adequate evidence; "he did not even try to confirm his preconceptions" [syn: preconception, prepossession, parti pris, preconceived opinion, preconceived notion]
Usage examples of "preconceived idea".
Just as in the case of atomism, they seemed to prove the validity of the preconceived idea of the current.
Investigators and citizens in the community had a preconceived idea of what Jack the Ripper would look like.
I had no preconceived idea of the sensations that would mark the drug's initial effect, since these were said to vary prodigiously with the temperament of the users.