1 biased | Definition of biased

biased

adjective
bi·​ased | \ ˈbÄ«-əst How to pronounce biased (audio) \

Definition of biased

1 : exhibiting or characterized by bias
2 : tending to yield one outcome more frequently than others in a statistical experiment a biased coin
3 : having an expected value different from the quantity or parameter estimated a biased estimate

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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”).

Examples of biased in a Sentence

It's also politically biased, full of slighting references to the Whigs, whom Johnson detested, and imperiously chauvinistic, wherever possible dismissing or making light of words imported from French. — Charles McGrath, New York Times Book Review, 4 Dec. 2005 I am willing to believe that history is for the most part inaccurate and biased, but what is peculiar to our age is the abandonment of the idea that history could be truthfully written. In the past people deliberately lied, or they unconsciously colored what they wrote, or they struggled after the truth, well knowing that they must make many mistakes; but in each case they believed that 'the facts' existed and were more or less discoverable. — Leon Wieseltier, New Republic, 17 Feb. 2003 The information experts say that it's dangerous to conclude very much from talking to people because you will never interact with a scientifically selected random sample. Thus, the information you derive from meeting people is biased or anecdotal. — Will Manley, Booklist, 1 Mar. 2002 But even if you think I may be biased about the book's conclusions, please trust me about its awful prose. — James Martin, Commonweal, 3 May 2002 She is too biased to write about the case objectively. He is biased against women. The judges of the talent show were biased toward musical acts.
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Recent Examples on the Web

This creates a feedback loop in which the most-biased arbitrators are guaranteed future business, incentivizing them to rule against consumers. Michael P. Maguire, The Mercury News, "Opinion: E-scooter firms silence injured riders’ legal claims," 21 Aug. 2019 But that data is hard to come by, often biased, and subject to varying interpretations. Michael Tanner, National Review, "Some Thoughts on the El Paso Shooting," 7 Aug. 2019 President Donald Trump has criticized the process, citing complaints from other companies, as potentially biased toward Amazon. Washington Post, "Pentagon is reviewing the ‘war cloud’ contract Amazon wants," 1 Aug. 2019 But even these biased memories are being constructed and reconstructed all the time, amended, augmented, sometimes even disregarded. Viktor Mayer-schönberger, The Conversation, "The internet is rotting – let’s embrace it," 25 July 2019 The Pentagon’s massive $10 billion contract to run military cloud services can be awarded this summer, a federal judge ruled on Friday, despite efforts by Oracle to halt the process that the company charged was biased in favor of Amazon. Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, "Answering Some of the Biggest Questions Facing the Tech Industry—Data Sheet," 15 July 2019 From direct insults, to accusations of being biased, my interviews reveal that for some non-white academics, teaching can be a challenging experience. Katy Sian, Quartz, "“Liberal racism” continues to plague Britain’s universities," 27 June 2019 Trump has also argued, without evidence, that Google and Facebook are biased toward conservatives. Madeleine Joung, Time, "Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple Could Face Antitrust Investigations. How Do Those Work?," 5 June 2019 The biased coverage has conspiratorial roots, Musk claimed, the result of an advertising alliance between fossil fuel companies and the media. Peter Holley, chicagotribune.com, "Pravda: Elon Musk's solution for punishing journalists," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'biased.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of biased

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for biased

see bias entry 1

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More Definitions for biased

biased

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of biased

: having or showing a bias : having or showing an unfair tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others

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More from Merriam-Webster on biased

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for biased

Spanish Central: Translation of biased

Nglish: Translation of biased for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of biased for Arabic Speakers