bias means inclined to one side; swelled on one side. It carries an Arena rating of 1406, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, bias ranks #163 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words, #746 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,770 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #2,166 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
bias is pronounced /ˈbaɪ.əs/.
Why “bias” is a great word
A tendency, inclination, or prejudice for or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair. From Middle French *biais* ("slant, oblique angle"), likely from Old Occitan *biais*, of obscure origin but possibly from Vulgar Latin *biaxius* ("with two axes"), first attested in English c. 1520 in the sense of "oblique line." Unlike "prejudice," which suggests a judgment made in advance of the facts, or "partiality," which implies a specific, often fond, favoritism, "bias" is the more neutral, encompassing term for the tilt inherent in any system or psyche. It is the imperceptible slope in a wooden floor that sends a dropped marble rolling to one corner, the quiet gravitational pull of a familiar idea, or the unseen weight sewn into the hem of a thought—the universal truth that nothing, not even light, travels in a perfectly straight line.
Etymology
C. 1520 in the sense "oblique line". As a technical term in the game of bowls c. 1560, whence the figurative use (c. 1570). From Middle French biais, adverbially ("sideways, askance, against the grain") c. 1250, as a noun ("oblique angle, slant") from the late 16th century. The French word is likely from Old Occitan biais, itself of obscure origin, most likely from Vulgar Latin *biaxius (“with two axes”).
adj
- Inclined to one side; swelled on one side.
- Cut slanting or diagonally, as cloth.
- Synonym of biased (“exhibiting bias; prejudiced”).e.g.“Tom's vitality and energy were perfect for the role and I think Milos made the perfect choice! Am I bias? Certainly ... but for good reason!” — 1999 January 3, <bantry_girl@my-dejanews.com>, “WEHT Elizabeth Berridge?”, in alt.showbiz.gossip (Usenet), archived from the original on 01 Apr 2026:
adv
- In a slanting manner; crosswise; obliquely; diagonally.e.g.“to cut cloth bias”
noun
- Inclination towards something.e.g.“Morality […] give[s] a bias to all their [men's] actions.” — 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 4, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book I, page 12:
- The diagonal line between warp and weft in a woven fabric.
- A wedge-shaped piece of cloth taken out of a garment (such as the waist of a dress) to diminish its circumference.
- A voltage or current applied to an electronic device, such as a transistor electrode, to move its operating point to a desired part of its transfer function.
- The difference between the expectation of the sample estimator and the true population value, which reduces the representativeness of the estimator by systematically distorting it.
- In the games of crown green bowls and lawn bowls: a weight added to one side of a bowl so that as it rolls, it will follow a curved rather than a straight path; the oblique line followed by such a bowl; the lopsided shape or structure of such a bowl. In lawn bowls, the curved course is caused only by the shape of the bowl. The use of weights is prohibited.e.g.“there is a concealed bias within the spheroid” — 1822, [Walter Scott], Peveril of the Peak. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC:
- A person's favourite member of a K-pop band.e.g.“The last thing you want is for your camera to die when you finally get that selca with your bias.” — 2015, "Top 10 Tips For Travelling To Korea", UKP Magazine, Winter 2015, page 37
verb
- To place bias upon; to influence.e.g.“Our prejudices bias our views.”
- To give a bias to.
name
- One of the Seven Sages of Greece from Priene, living in the 6th century BCE.
- A surname.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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