bias

1 of 4

noun

bi·​as ˈbī-əs 

1

a

: an inclination of temperament or outlook

especially : a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment : prejudice

b

: an instance of such prejudice

c

: bent, tendency

d(1)

: deviation of the expected value of a statistical estimate from the quantity it estimates

(2)

: systematic error introduced into sampling or testing by selecting or encouraging one outcome or answer over others

2

: a line diagonal to the grain of a fabric

especially : a line at a 45 degree angle to the selvage often utilized in the cutting of garments for smoother fit

3

a

: a peculiarity in the shape of a bowl that causes it to swerve when rolled on the green in lawn bowling

b

: the tendency of a bowl to swerve

also : the impulse causing this tendency

c

: the swerve of the bowl

4

a

: a voltage applied to a device (such as a transistor control electrode) to establish a reference level for operation

b

: a high-frequency voltage combined with an audio signal to reduce distortion in tape recording

bias

2 of 4

verb

biased or biassed; biasing or biassing

transitive verb

1

: to give a settled and often prejudiced outlook to

his background biases him against foreigners

2

: to apply a slight negative or positive voltage to (something, such as a transistor)

bias

3 of 4

adjective

: diagonal, slanting

—used chiefly of fabrics and their cut

biasness noun

bias

4 of 4

adverb

1

: diagonally

cut cloth bias

2

obsolete : awry

Phrases

on the bias

1

: diagonally to the grain of a fabric

cut the cloth on the bias

sleeves cut on the bias

2

: at an angle : diagonally to the fibers of something

cut the meat on the bias

carrots cut on the bias

Did you know?

Bias vs. Biased

In recent years, we have seen more evidence of the adjectival bias in constructions like “a bias news program” instead of the more usual “a biased news program.” The reason is likely because of aural confusion: the -ed of biased may be filtered out by hearers, which means that bias and biased can sound similar in the context of normal speech. They are not interchangeable, however. The adjective that means “exhibited or characterized by an unreasoned judgment” is biased (“a biased news story”). There is an adjective bias, but it means “diagonal” and is used only of fabrics (“a bias cut across the fabric”).

Synonyms

Noun

• favor
• nonobjectivity
• one-sidedness
• partiality
• parti pris
• partisanship
• ply
• prejudice
• tendentiousness

Verb

• poison
• prejudice
• turn

Adverb

• athwart
• cornerways
• cornerwise
• crossways
• crosswise
• diagonally
• kitty-corner
• catty-corner
• catercorner
• kitty-cornered
• catty-cornered
• catercornered
• obliquely
• transversely

Choose the Right Synonym for bias

Noun

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

Verb

incline, bias, dispose, predispose mean to influence one to have or take an attitude toward something.

incline implies a tendency to favor one of two or more actions or conclusions.

I incline to agree

bias suggests a settled and predictable leaning in one direction and connotes unfair prejudice.

the experience biased him against foreigners

dispose suggests an affecting of one's mood or temper so as to incline one toward something.

her nature disposes her to trust others

predispose implies the operation of a disposing influence well in advance of the opportunity to manifest itself.

does fictional violence predispose them to accept real violence?

Examples of bias in a Sentence

Noun

… members of the opinion media will cherry-pick moments from the debate that support their own ideological biases. —Michelle Cottle, New Republic, 16 Oct. 2000

Blatant racial and gender discrimination is just about over, creating a sociological space in which to worry about subtler forms of bias. —Gregg Easterbrook, New Republic, 20 Dec. 1999

Like the printing press before it, the computer has a powerful bias toward amplifying personal autonomy and individual problem-solving. —Katha Pollitt, Nation, 9 Oct. 1995

He showed a bias toward a few workers in particular.

Do they have a bias against women?

The company was accused of racial bias.

The decision was made without bias.

She showed no bias toward older clients.

a student with a strong bias towards the arts

Verb

Unfortunately, his convictions are not clearly and logically developed; they mostly lurk in the background biasing his reporting. He does not always give the reader a fair chance to follow the arguments of the actors—even those with whom he ardently agrees. —Leonard Silk, New York Times Book Review, 24 Feb. 1980

I don't want to bias you against the movie, but I thought the book was much better.

The circumstances could bias the results of the survey.

Adverb

made of fabric cut bias

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The manager says that one of the powerful characteristics of this selection process is that investors benefit from survivorship bias as their portfolio isn’t always going to be the same 500 companies. —Karl Rogers, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

What’s more haunting is if generational stereotypes get in the way of learning—for example, the notion that Boomers are not accepting of AI, which is based in bias, not fact. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2024

Verb

Routh's defense team claimed that Cannon had shown her bias toward Trump in the classified documents case and would therefore be biased against the man accused of trying to kill the former president. —Sean O'Driscoll, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024

Data from the past four decades shows that the polls do not always bias one party over the other, and that past performance can’t predict how the polls will do the next time around. —Kaleigh Rogers, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024

Adjective

Since bias may take on different forms in different fields, a one-time, one-size-fits-all anti-bias training may not have a lasting effect. —Yasemin Copur-Gencturk, Ian Thacker, and Joseph Cimpian, Special To Usa Today, USA TODAY, 2 May 2023

The state legislature’s education committee raised the issue in a bill this session, prosing Connecticut further develop recruitment and retention strategies for educators of color, as well as require district staff in charge of hiring teachers to undergo implicit bias and anti-bias training. —Amanda Blanco, courant.com, 4 May 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Verb, Adjective, and Adverb

Middle French biais

First Known Use

Noun

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1551, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

circa 1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bias

• bias-belted tire
• bias crime
• bias-ply tire
• bias tape
• implicit bias
• self-selection bias

Kids Definition

bias

1 of 2 noun

bi·​as ˈbī-əs 

1

: a line diagonal to the grain of a fabric

2

: an attitude that always favors one way of feeling or acting over any other : prejudice

3

: a voltage applied to a device (as a transistor control electrode) to establish a reference level for operation

bias

2 of 2 verb

biased or biassed; biasing or biassing

: to give a prejudiced outlook to

Legal Definition

bias

noun

bi·​as ˈbī-əs 

: a personal and often unreasoned judgment for or against one side in a dispute : prejudice

a judge disqualified because of bias