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bias

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adverb

bias

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verb

as in to turn
to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge bad reviews biased her against the movie, even though it starred one of her favorite actors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun bias contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of bias are predilection, prejudice, and prepossession. While all these words mean "an attitude of mind that predisposes one to favor something," bias implies an unreasoned and unfair distortion of judgment in favor of or against a person or thing.

a strong bias toward the plaintiff

Where would predilection be a reasonable alternative to bias?

While in some cases nearly identical to bias, predilection implies a strong liking deriving from one's temperament or experience.

a predilection for travel

When can prejudice be used instead of bias?

The synonyms prejudice and bias are sometimes interchangeable, but prejudice usually implies an unfavorable prepossession and connotes a feeling rooted in suspicion, fear, or intolerance.

a mindless prejudice against the unfamiliar

When is it sensible to use prepossession instead of bias?

While the synonyms prepossession and bias are close in meaning, prepossession suggests a fixed conception likely to preclude objective judgment of anything counter to it.

a prepossession against technology

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bias
Noun
This kind of subconscious bias could further complicate hiring practices already known to be influenced by factors such as race, age, and socioeconomic status. Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025 That involves investigating subtle biases, as well as extreme ones. Mark Guarino, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2025
Verb
Her father's praise, while biased, is a sentiment shared by many fans and critics. Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025 Human providers are biased, too, of course. Craig Spencer, The Atlantic, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bias
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bias
Noun
  • With any luck, it will someday be reversed, like other famous examples of Supreme Court decisions that reflected prejudice against African-Americans, Japanese-Americans, and others.
    Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • This sensual, swoon-worthy drama dares to imagine love thriving where prejudice prevails.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Nowadays people see small images on their phones so there’s a tendency to crop in on everything.
    Adam Morganstern, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • With that said, his biggest flaw remains a tendency to sail throws high from the pocket.
    Tim Crowley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Gilbert and her volunteer group had already planted dozens of trees in just a couple of hours, moving diagonally across a open, grassy field surrounded by ponderosa pines.
    John Leos, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Epson specs the lens as suitable for 16:9 screens ranging from 80 inches diagonally (at less than an inch from the screen) to 150 inches (from 9.9 inches away).
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Nolthenius hopes that more astronomers – professionals and amateurs – will turn their eyes to the skies to observe Quaoar's occultations.
    Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • In less than six hours, the protest turned violent when police used water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets and then gunfire, killing at least 19 people including children and injuring hundreds of others.
    Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Despite its partiality to a president’s power over independent federal agencies, the court has repeatedly suggested that the Fed is an exception.
    Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
  • But, actually, partiality is one of the reasons that scenarios are valuable.
    Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • For those with time and inclination, the New York Times did an exhaustive deep dive into court battle based on thousands of pages of court filings and hearing transcripts.
    Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • No other player has a similar inclination to hold width.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The film looks at the key role of political cartoons in global democracies, the decline of the profession amid a newspaper industry meltdown and the effects of extreme political partisanship on media and editorial cartooning.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
  • In a statement to CNN, Andrew Nixon, Director of Communications for HHS, said the states moves away from CDC guidance were based on partisanship, rather than science.
    Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • New downloads of Weather are no longer possible on Wear OS 6 devices from third-party manufacturers, such as Samsung, OnePlus and others.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Why Healthcare Needs a Data Overhaul Healthcare systems are generating more data than ever before, from electronic health records and lab results to imaging scans, insurance claims, and even patient updates from wearable devices.
    Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bias.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bias. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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