biased
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of biased
Explanation
When a skirt is cut at an angle, with one side higher than the other, it has a bias cut. Being biased is kind of lopsided too: a biased person favors one side or issue over another. While biased can just mean having a preference for one thing over another, it also is synonymous with "prejudiced," and that prejudice can be taken to the extreme. Sometimes a person is so biased, or is leaning so far in one direction, that it's hard to see the other position, creating unfairness in an argument or decision. Often, though, it's used more lightly: "My mom makes the best brownies in the world, but I might be a little biased."
Vocabulary lists containing biased
Tone and Point of View, List 1
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Florida EOC Civics
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Henry David Thoreau "Civil Disobedience" (1849)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Researchers say that skewed ratio may be self-perpetuating: Because more boys are thought to have autism, diagnostic tools are biased toward boys’ autistic traits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Mikaela, who was supposed to judge the round with James, recused herself because she felt she would be too biased.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
As a Kiwi, I'm biased - but clearly Liam Lawson's been performing at Racing Bulls so far this year, and he's currently 'best of the rest' in the driver standings.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
He was freed after his conviction was overturned on procedural grounds, with the presiding judge also later ruled to have been biased.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
I can stand across from the everyday Anne and, without being biased or making excuses, watch what she’s doing, both the good and the bad.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
