bias 1 of 3

1
2

bias

2 of 3

adverb

as in diagonally
in a line or direction running from corner to corner made of fabric cut bias

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bias

3 of 3

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
In their filing Monday, prosecutors argued that Comey's attorneys have provided no direct evidence showing Halligan has displayed any bias or personal animosity towards Comey himself. ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025 These analyses ruled out explanations like recency bias, where animals simply favor the most recent signal, or responding to the most obvious cue. Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
Rules analyst Russell Yurk concurred, and although the NFL explained why the call was correct, the ESPN broadcasters’ disgust set off a social-media firestorm about how the officials are biased toward the Chiefs. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025 Research on ancient Egypt is largely biased toward the elite, whose spectacular tombs, monuments, and artifacts have been the dominant focus. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bias
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bias
Noun
  • Oklahoma Indian Territory who defied poverty and prejudice to become one of America’s first Black female millionaires — at just 11 years old.
    Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
  • And, as Politico observed, his critics are poised to define him not by policy but by identity—testing whether the city that elected its first Muslim mayor will judge him by his performance or by prejudice.
    Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Now the Dark Knight has always had some distinctly authoritarian tendencies baked into his tactics and mythology, as a Christopher Nolan movie or three made pretty clear.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Unfortunately, the songs have a tendency to drift towards a very similar sound, which stands out in the context of a project where everything else is so imaginative.
    Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025
Adverb
  • The table below shows her willingness to play long forward passes, either diagonally to wingers or more direct for runners in behind.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Shoeless Mack Hollins is dressed as a bishop for #Halloween moving diagonally as the piece does.
    Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Yuileta Lopez, a teen growing up in Texas, decides to turn her anger and outrage into activism.
    Amber McBride, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The surge in demand is already driving up energy prices and fueling political backlash as sprawling data centers turn into election-season flashpoints in the communities where they are being constructed.
    Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • This Sunday’s order is a matter of preference and partiality, but the top five itself seems clear.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • 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
Noun
  • The inclination to avoid that threshold already impacted Denver’s decision not to sign a rookie contract extension with Peyton Watson last month.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Lin—whose early career at Zappos and mathematical inclinations molded him into an early backer of companies like Airbnb and DoorDash—has been at Sequoia since 2010.
    Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • But, increasingly, events that should appall and unite America against violence instead fuel an intensifying partisanship.
    John Archibald, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Carving up Kansas City Missouri’s review of the map was based on racial and partisanship data from the 2020 presidential election.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Since launching in 2012, Candy Crush Saga has remained one of the most popular games on mobile devices, accruing millions of daily players.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
  • On the hardware side over 10+ million devices have been built around a recovery phrase by default, entrenching a market expectation in which seed phrases are the go-to recovery method, even as some vendors add alternatives.
    Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bias.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bias. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on bias

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!