biased

/ˈbaɪəst/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbaɪəst/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbī-əst/ (ame, mw)

biased — adjective

  • biasedpositive
  • more biasedcomparative
  • most biasedsuperlative

1. having a tendency to unfairly favour one person, group, or viewpoint over anothe

1.形容詞B2
釋義

having a tendency to unfairly favour one person, group, or viewpoint over another because of personal feelings rather than facts

例句

The hiring manager was biased against older workers and only called candidates under thirty for interviews.

biased against + noun phrase for unfavourable attitude

Diego admitted his film review was biased because he had always disliked that director.

同義詞
  • prejudiced

    stronger than 'biased', often implies hostility or a fixed negative opinion based on group membership

  • partial

    more formal and milder; suggests favouring one side without the negative judgement that 'biased' carries

  • one-sided

    used more for arguments, reports, or accounts than for people; less formal

反義詞
  • unbiased

    the most direct opposite; means not showing any unfair preference

  • impartial

    formal; treating all sides equally, especially in official or judgement contexts

  • fair

    everyday word for treating everyone equally and according to the facts

文法句型

biased against + noun phrase

biased toward(s) + noun phrase

用法筆記

Often used with the prepositions 'against' (unfavourable bias) or 'towards/toward' (favourable bias). A person can be biased for or against someone or something.

常見錯誤

❌The manager is biased about female employees.
✅The manager is biased against female employees.
💡Use 'against' or 'toward(s)' to express direction of the bias, not 'about'.
❌He is biased to like Chinese food.
✅He is biased toward Chinese food.
💡Use 'biased toward(s)' + noun phrase, not a verb.

2. describing a set of information or results that unfairly supports one conclusion

2.形容詞B2
釋義

describing a set of information or results that unfairly supports one conclusion because of the way it was gathered or analysed, rather than reflecting a balanced picture

例句

The study was based on a biased sample that only included responses from wealthy neighbourhoods.

collocation: biased sample

A poll taken only on social media gives a biased picture of what the general public thinks.

同義詞
  • skewed

    very close in meaning; 'skewed data' emphasises that results are tilted in one direction

  • unrepresentative

    focuses on the fact that the data does not reflect the whole population

  • slanted

    less formal; often used for news or reports rather than technical data

反義詞
  • unbiased

    the direct opposite for both data and methods

  • representative

    specifically for samples and data that accurately reflect the whole group

文法句型

biased + noun (data/sample/results/method)

用法筆記

Common in academic and scientific contexts. This sense describes the data or method itself, not a person's attitude. The opposite concept is 'representative' or 'unbiased'.

常見錯誤

❌The experiment had biased.
✅The experiment had biased data / a biased design.
💡'Biased' is an adjective, not a noun. Use it to describe the data or method, not as a standalone noun.