English Reference
adjective

biased

adj.
US /ˈbaɪəst/ UK /bˈaɪəst/ bi·ased UK spelling biassed

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    unfairly preferring one person, group, or idea over another.

    exhibiting a personal or institutional prejudice; not impartial or objective.

    Simple

    The fans felt the referee was biased against their team during the final minutes.

    In context

    Critics argued that the documentary provided a biased account of the conflict by only interviewing representatives from one side.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Technical Science

    describing information or results that are not accurate because of a mistake in how they were collected.

    exhibiting a systematic distortion of results due to a factor not accounted for in the derivation or sampling process.

    Simple

    The survey results were biased because only people who liked the product answered it.

    In context

    The researchers acknowledged that the sample was biased toward urban residents, potentially overlooking the unique challenges faced by rural communities.

I feel the system is biased against women.

The Guardian· 19 Aug 2026

From bias + -ed.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated