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.
Studies have shown that industry-funded science tends to be biased in favor of the sponsor’s products.
From Salon • May 5, 2026
People tend to be biased to think that their hard work has paid off in some way.
From Slate • May 3, 2026
The arrangements sometimes have “harmed neighborhood schools, disrupting students and educators while creating the perception, and sometimes the reality, of biased decision-making,” Patel said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Ollie: Yeah, just because sometimes they know how… it's easy to speak to your friends and stuff when they come and watch you, but they've got a biased opinion.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
“He got paid either way, so I’m not sure it mattered. He seemed completely biased against Marcus. He wanted him to plead guilty, and take a deal, but Marcus refused.”
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
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.
